An Italian carrier strike group, on its maiden voyage to the Indo-Pacific region, will navigate through the South China Sea en route to the Philippines. This follows their participation in war games with US allies in Australia, as confirmed by a senior Italian navy official on Thursday. The deployment comes at a time of heightened tensions between China and several of its neighbors in the contested South China Sea. Approximately 40% of Europe’s foreign trade traverses this strategic waterway, where the United States, Japan, Australia, and other nations have engaged in joint maritime exercises, which they claim uphold freedom of navigation. China, however, asserts its claim to almost the entirety of the waterway.
The Italian aircraft carrier Cavour is currently in the northern Australian town of Darwin, taking part in Exercise Pitch Black this week. Italy has contributed nearly two dozen fighter jets to this 20-nation drill, hosted by Australia. The United States, Britain, Japan, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea are also participating. This marks the first time an aircraft carrier has joined these exercises, according to Italian Navy Rear Admiral Giancarlo Ciappina. Twenty-three Italian jets, including eight stealthy F-35Bs, are engaging in simulated dogfights, strikes, and other operations alongside their allies over vast stretches of largely unpopulated land in northern Australia.
“Pitch Black gives us a chance to work with the main F-35 communities, shoulder to shoulder,” said Captain Dario Castelli, the strike group’s carrier air wing commander. “In terms of deploying far from home, it is also an incredible logistics exercise for us.”
Upon the conclusion of these exercises on August 2, the 1,200-strong Italian carrier strike group will journey to the US Pacific territory of Guam and Japan, before embarking on its first transit through the South China Sea to the Philippines, Ciappina stated.
Ciappina emphasized that his strike group does not intend to carry out any freedom of navigation operations. The Cavour will instead engage in humanitarian work in the Philippines, performing surgical procedures on children at the ship’s onboard hospital while docked in Manila.
“An aircraft carrier – just being present somewhere, it has an effect, it can influence. It is a very powerful tool,” Ciappina asserted.
Manila and Beijing have repeatedly engaged in verbal sparring over jurisdictional claims as the Philippines challenges China’s persistent presence around strategic features within Manila’s exclusive economic zone.
Ciappina highlighted that the Italian Navy’s inaugural Indo-Pacific deployment has enhanced its training and fostered a deeper understanding of the region. While this deployment is not a NATO initiative, Italy has coordinated with the French Navy and Britain’s Royal Navy, both of which will dispatch ships to the region later in the year, to ensure the maintenance of significant capacity within the Mediterranean.
“Everything is connected… that’s why we have to also be present in the Pacific now,” he concluded.
