The TRIESTE amphibious assault aircraft carrier has been delivered to the Italian Navy (Marina Militare) on December 7. The ceremony was attended by the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella and Defence Minister Guido Crosetto as well as by the top management of the Armed Forces and Fincantieri. The delivery took place in conjunction with the emotional swearing-in of 150 Naval Academy cadets

TRIESTE is now the flagship of the Ambhibious Task Group and the largest unit ever built in Italy since the post-war period. Fincantieri's CEO, Pierroberto Folgiero, labelled it as "the symbol of what Italy can be when it combines geopolitical vision, technological expertise and manufacturing capacity".

When fully operational, the ATG will be able to operate with the TRIESTE, one LPD, 2-3 escort units and a tanker. The ship had been launched on 29 May 2019 at the Fincantieri site in Castellammare di Stabia. After delivery, the TRIESTE will be transferred to La Spezia for the completion of outfitting and the start of so-called elementary training, to, subsequently, move to Taranto, where it will be stationed as part of the 3rd Naval Division.

In terms of technical-operational specifications, the naval vessel has an overall length of 245 m, a width of 36 m and a full load displacement of 38,000 tonnes. The flight deck is equipped with 9 aircraft spots. The crew consists of a permanent complement of 360, to which must be added approximately 600 landinng troops and some 80 personnel dedicated to the flight component, giving a total of 1,064 servicemen.

The ship's distinctive feature is its great versatility, also determined by its ability to operate with the F-35B: up to 20 aircraft (plus 2 helicopters dedicated to SAR operations).

The TRIESTE, therefore, will be able to operate as a second aircraft carrier, when the CAVOUR is on work stoppage, or alongside the CAVOUR itself in cases of high-intensity contingencies. In case of amphibious raids, the TRIESTE will be able to support the SAN MARCO and LAGUNARI elements with its F-35s, exactly as happens with the amphibious assault units of the US Marines, according to the concept of deploying a ‘quartet formation'.

On the sidelines of the event, Minister Crosetto reiterated the importance of increasing Defence investments, in order to achieve the target of 2% of GDP, "not because NATO is asking us to, but because we are living in a dramatic international situation. We have to make it understood". Asked by the author, the Minister then reiterated that "one of the keys to ‘making peace in Lebanon is the strengthening of UNIFIL's mandate, which Italy has been asking for 18 months now".

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