“Following the results achieved by the Carrier Strike Group and the attainment of the objectives of the embarked air tactical component, today we can declare the Initial Operational Capability (IOC) of the national expeditionary sea-based 5th generation capability.” This announcement was made on August 26th by the Chief of Italian Naval Staff, Admiral Enrico Credendino, aboard the aircraft carrier Cavour, moored alongside the frigate Alpino at the Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, as part of the operational projection campaign in the Indo-Pacific.
The attainment of the Initial Operational Capability marks a decisive milestone for Italian Defense and the Navy, highlighting Italy’s readiness and capability to effectively contribute, together with Allies, to global security and stability wherever necessary.
Italy, with a transformation economy (importing raw materials and exporting finished products), is significantly influenced by maritime dynamics, extending the protection of national interests on a global scale. In this context, the Carrier Strike Group serves as a tool at the service of the country.
Italy, already among the few equipped with aircraft carriers, is the only one in the European Union capable of fielding a national Carrier Strike Group with 5th generation assets. Alongside the USA and the UK, it forms the select group of NATO Allies with such a capability. In this perspective, the F-35B-based Carrier Strike Group reflects the Nation’s stature and serves as a reassurance to Allies or a deterrent to potential adversaries: a versatile and flexible tool for projecting power and influence wherever necessary.
With the achievement of the Initial Operational Capability, new opportunities for interoperability and interchangeability among Allies will be possible.
Navy units are inherently interoperable with those of Allies, as they share common command and control systems, communications, procedures, and tactics: the numerous activities conducted by the Carrier Strike Group, including in the Indo-Pacific, a region of unusual focus, widely confirm this.
The most ambitious goal, however, is achieving full interchangeability of assets among navies of equivalent rank. To this end, the Italian Navy is already operating through the integration of allied ships into the escort group of the national Carrier Strike Group and by assigning Italian ships to defend allied carrier groups. Furthermore, with the attainment of IOC for the F-35B, the Navy will also be able to ensure the interchangeability of these assets, making our naval air forces increasingly flexible.
The experience of the Italian Carrier Strike Group within a multinational framework represents a crucial step towards achieving a structured integration of military capabilities, which could lead to further reflections on the formation of a possible common multinational force for the maritime defense of the European Union, to be integrated with the United States and the United Kingdom.
The IOC represents the first significant step towards expressing an operational projection capability, from the sea and over the sea, of the embarked 5th generation air tactical component.
At the operational and tactical level, this achievement—obtained after a total of 2,600 flight hours and over 2,700 maintenance interventions—means that the Airwing of GRUPAER (Naval Aviation Group, based in Grottaglie), with the support of the 32nd Wing of the Air Force (Amendola), is now capable of conducting Defensive and Offensive Counter Air missions, Strike, and Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses as part of the national expeditionary sea-based F-35B capability, operating from aboard in remote areas with complete logistical autonomy.
The acquisition of IOC four months ahead of schedule represents the first significant milestone in the validation process of the F-35B weapon system, which began in 2021 with the Ready for Operations campaign in the United States, for the certification of the aircraft carrier Cavour to operate with the new aircraft.
The Navy will continue to advance the operational development of the F-35Bs until achieving Full Operational Capability (FOC), expected in the coming years, when the full delivery of the planned aircraft to the Armed Forces is completed.
The early achievement of IOC was made possible thanks to the perfect synergy realized with the Air Force, which culminated during the operational projection campaign in the Indo-Pacific, thanks to the F-35B assets and Air Force personnel embarked on the Cavour, which accelerated the development of a highly valuable national capability for Defense and the Country.
“With the IOC,” Admiral Credendino added, “the Maritime Component of Defense takes a significant step forward in expressing the ability to project forces from the sea, even in operational theaters far from the usual areas of focus, for extended periods, ensuring complete interoperability and interchangeability in joint operations with Allies and partners: one of the main objectives of the Carrier Strike Group campaign in the Indo-Pacific.”
(Italian Navy)