It will be entrusted to Italy tactical command of the European mission Aspides In the Red Sea. This was announced in a note by the Minister of Defence, Guido Crosetto: “The European Union today asked Italy to provide the Force Commander of the Aspides operation in the Red Sea (the admiral officer exercising the embarked command of naval assets participating in the operation). L’importance and theurgency of Operation Aspides, which will help ensure the free navigation and the safety of commercial traffic in the Red Sea, led the Italian Defense to immediately ensure the own support“, states in the note Crosetto who defines the decision as “a further recognition of the commitment of the Government and Defense and the professionalism of the Navy”.
The European mission was strongly supported by Italy, France and Germany immediately after the intensification of the attacks Houthi against merchant ships transiting the coasts of Yemen. It will be one defensive missionnot just accompanying”, reiterated the Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. For the headquarters of headquarters one thinks of Larissa, in Greeceor to France, “but there may be a rotation,” explains Tajani. “It’s not so much who will be in command – adds the Foreign Minister – but what they will do. We are a country devoted to exports: the 40% dell’export maritime passes by Suez passage. It is in our interest to do everything to protect merchant ships. It will be a defensive mission: we will not attack the Houthis in Yemen“, conclude.
Point also reiterated by Joseph Borrell: “The task of the mission will be precisely to protect merchant ships, discourage attacks with its presence and strengthen maritime situational awareness. Our aim is not to conduct any type of attack, but only to defend ourselves,” said the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy. “She will be deployed at sea, with ships and aircrafti, in proportion to the threat we are facing. Aspides – he added – will not carry out any ground operations, but only to protect navigation at sea. It will begin its work and I hope it will be approved by my fellow Foreign Ministers next February 19th“, specified the head of European diplomacy.
Italy will contribute one nave but we are also considering sending “aerial assets with surveillance and data collection tasks”, as Crosetto said on Thursday in a hearing at the Defense commissions of the House and Senate. The operational contribution of the individual countries in detail is still being developed assessmentbut, as regards Italy, aircraft could be sent, for example G550 Caew of the 14th Wing of the Air Force, real flying radars, equipped with a multi-sensor system with aerial surveillance, command, control and communications functions. These vehicles were used as part of missions on the Eastern flank of NATO. Deployment of dronestype Predatorwith tasks of reconnaissance and control of the territory.