“Annual training appointment with international connotation, inter-force and in support of Italian universities”. Two intense days spent on board the Cavour aircraft carrier.
The Open Sea 2022 is the most important and complex exercise of our Navy which this year involves all the FAs, 7 NATO nations, auxiliary and Civil Protection bodies, and students from numerous national universities, over a large portion of multidimensional space including the waters and the coastal and littoral areas of the Tyrrhenian, Adriatic, Ionian and Sicilian Channel, all under the supervision of the Command in Chief of the Naval Squadron.
"What is striking" said Senator Pucciarelli during the ceremony of the lowering of the flag on the Flight Deck of Nave Cavour "in addition to the different operational and technical organizational nuances of this exercise, it is the extraordinary team spirit that makes this condensed technology truly a big family'.
The objective of the Open Sea is to test the levels of readiness and capacity for action, as well as train intensely for their improvement in a 'maximum realism' scenario, within the entire spectrum of intervention pertaining to the domain of maritime operations: naval , underwater, aerial, amphibious, special forces, mine countermeasures, hydro-oceanographic and the broadest technical-specialist, educational-training, medical-health and logistic-administrative support.
“Each Naval Unit is a microcosm” then continued Undersecretary Pucciarelli “with its marked self-sufficiency that must be treated and guaranteed continuously and this requires professionalism, commitment, a sense of responsibility and sacrifices. The responsibility of those who are fully aware of being part of a complex mechanism where every gear, large or small, is fundamental for the general functioning.
In the afternoon, the Undersecretary witnessed an amphibious landing operation in the Sardinian shooting range of Capo Teulada - an intervention option that places our Navy and Italy among those few nations in the world with a similar niche component - guaranteed by the synergy between the capabilities of the air-naval device and those of the Marina San Marco Brigade which this year took on the role of amphibious component of the NATO rapid response force (NATO Response Force - NRF 2022).
“In the face of all this” said Senator PUCCIARELLI “what I feel and want to do is to reaffirm my commitment as an Italian and as a woman of the institutions, so that there is ample awareness of all this, in decision-making bodies and among the people. Because of this professionalism, this commitment, this sense of responsibility and these sacrifices - individual and, of one's own sphere of affection - their existence and importance be recognized.
“The historical phase we are experiencing” highlights the Senator “brutally recalled how important some privileges we enjoy are, as Italians and as belonging to the Western value block. Freedom, equality, democracy, the rule of law - albeit sometimes imperfect - are extraordinary achievements, even at a high price, which we must no longer take for granted. Just as on the ship there are divisions of tasks and redundancy systems so that all functionalities can be continuously ensured, so we must understand that peace must be built, strengthened and promoted day by day.
The Open Sea 22 confirms how the maritime dimension plays a crucial role for Italy, the sea is the main axis of interconnections between peoples and for exchanges between different areas of the world, it is the main source, direct and indirect, of precious resources of the planet, limited in quantity and capacity for regeneration and the subject of growing disputes.
"A Nation like Italy" concludes Undersecretary Pucciarelli at the end of his visit aboard Nave Cavour and in the areas of interest of the exercise "must therefore look at its own prospects for sustainable growth and inclusive prosperity by equipping itself with an adequate defense capacity advance which pays particular attention to the maritime dimension. This is essentially your role as military and sailor - crucial to the present and future of our nation - of which you must be proud.