Italian Navy Deploys Across Three Theaters from the Arctic to the Indian Ocean

Today we reported how most of the French Navy’s surface fleet is currently at sea. It is therefore interesting to look at the situation of the Italian Navy during these days of crisis.

Based on open sources, the Italian Navy also appears to be heavily engaged, with at least six frigates currently deployed and operating largely in sensitive or strategically important regions.

It should also be emphasized that the map is based exclusively on open-source information available online and is therefore not exhaustive. Other Italian naval units are almost certainly at sea beyond those shown here.

In recent days the map highlights a wide dispersion of Italian Navy assets across the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Indian Ocean. The deployment ranges from the Arctic theatre linked to NATO exercises to ongoing EU maritime security missions in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. One notable development is the early return of the destroyer Andrea Doria, which had been deployed toward the Arctic for Exercise Cold Response 2026.

This distribution illustrates how Italian naval forces are currently engaged simultaneously in NATO operations, EU missions, and presence activities across several strategic maritime corridors.

Northern deployment and the return of Andrea Doria

One of the northernmost elements shown on the map is the amphibious transport dock ITS San Giusto, which recently sailed toward northern Norway in support of NATO’s Cold Response exercise. The ship had departed together with the destroyer ITS Andrea Doria.

However, the destroyer is now returning to Italy earlier than expected after leaving the exercise area prematurely.

Further west, the frigate ITS Alpino is operating in the North Atlantic and recently conducted a port visit in Halifax, Canada, highlighting continued cooperation with NATO allies across the Atlantic basin.

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Mediterranean, the frigate ITS Martinengo is integrated into the Carrier Strike Group built around the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. The Italian ship is therefore participating in a multinational naval posture aimed at maintaining stability and maritime awareness in a region that has seen increasing naval activity in recent weeks.

Central Mediterranean and NATO maritime groups

Several Italian ships are currently operating closer to home waters but within NATO frameworks.

The frigate ITS Virginio Fasan is deployed in the Mediterranean as the flagship of NATO’s Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2). Another unit, ITS Spartaco Schergat, has recently conducted a port visit to Valletta, Malta, while operating in the central Mediterranean.

Patrol vessel ITS Comandante Borsini also appears in the same broader theatre operating as IRINI asset.
Meanwhile Patrol vessel ITS Comandante Bettica is moored in Piraeus, Greece.

This cluster of assets reflects the continued importance of the central Mediterranean as a hub for NATO and EU maritime security missions.

Italian presence in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean

Further east, the map shows an even broader Italian naval presence connected to EU operations protecting maritime traffic.

The frigate ITS Luigi Rizzo is currently operating in the Indian Ocean as the flagship of the EU naval mission Operation Aspides. In the same region, the frigate ITS Emilio Bianchi is serving as flagship of Operation Atalanta, the long-running EU counter-piracy mission.

Closer to the Red Sea, three coastal patrol vessels — ITS Esploratore, ITS Sentinella, and ITS Vedetta — are based in Sharm el-Sheikh as part of the Italian Navy’s 10th Coastal Naval Group, providing a national contribution of roughly 78 personnel and four patrol vessels to the Multinational Force & Observers (MFO) mission.

This eastern cluster highlights the strategic importance of the Red Sea and the western Indian Ocean for European maritime security, especially as maritime routes linking the Mediterranean to Asia remain under pressure.

A navy stretched across multiple strategic corridors

Taken together, the map illustrates how the Italian Navy is currently operating across several critical maritime chokepoints — from the Arctic approaches to the Suez corridor and the western Indian Ocean.

The early return of Andrea Doria from the Cold Response deployment adds a new variable to this picture. Whether the ship’s redeployment signals a shift in priorities or simply a routine adjustment remains unclear.

What is evident today is that Italian naval units continue to operate simultaneously within NATO frameworks and EU-led missions — a pattern that in recent days has increasingly defined Italy’s maritime posture.

If current deployments persist, the coming weeks may further highlight how Rome balances commitments between the Mediterranean, the northern NATO flank, and the increasingly contested waters stretching toward the Red Sea.