Ships deployed, military personnel and responsibilities: the figures for Italia’s involvement in the EU Aspides mission

At present, 269 Italian military personnel are serving under the umbrella of the European mission. This figure includes the crew of the Bergamini (167 personnel) and the two minesweepers, the Rimini and the Crotone (51 personnel on each ship).

At this stage, Italia is not part of the mission’s Command and Control (C2) structure. Command of the operation is currently under Greek leadership, under the responsibility of Rear Admiral Vasileios Gryparis. Strategic command is based in Larissa, whilst operational management, headquartered on the current flagship, has seen numerous rotations: it began with the Italian Stefano Costantino (Rome has held this role twice so far, Athens four times). Italia and Greece have consistently provided naval assets for the mission – which comprises three vessels – and have been joined at various times by Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium. When Operation Aspides began, Italia was already present in the Red Sea with the Caio Duilio to protect its merchant ships (so much so that it served as the first flagship).

Unlike other international coalitions (such as the US-led one), Aspides was established on 19 February 2024 with a purely defensive mandate. The maritime operation aims to safeguard freedom of navigation and protect merchant and commercial vessels transiting through the maritime area comprising the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. Furthermore, Aspides safeguards national interests in the region by upholding the principle of freedom of navigation and ensuring maritime security.

Aspides operates in close coordination with the EUNAVFOR ATALANTA mission – a European Union military operation aimed at contributing to maritime security in the western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea – and with the Combined Maritime Forces. As Aspides and Atalanta operate in neighbouring theatres, there is a risk of ‘duplication’, and there have been repeated discussions about merging them into a single mission; however, this has been met with mutual vetoes from Greece and Spain (Madrid hosts the Atalanta headquarters in Rota). Aspides also maintains close contact with the Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) and with the international shipping community.