Canale 07, the Italian-Maltese air-naval exercise, will take place in the waters and airspace outside the bay of Augusta (Sicily) between Friday and 9 June, aiming “to enhance cooperation, security and stability in the Mediterranean area,” the Armed Forces of Malta said.

This is the 14th annual edition of the exercise, which has this year been planned, organised and coordinated by the Italian Armed Forces, involving naval and air units from other Mediterranean countries. Significantly this year, only nations from the “5+5 Initiative” are participating, with this being the first 10-nation practical activity aimed at enhancing dialogue between the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean basin.

This training exercise comes in line with larger, already-existing, regional initiatives (Mediterranean Dialogue and Euromed), making exercise Canale 07 the first significant practical form of confidence-building measures, and a major step forward to the operational dimension of the 5+5 Initiative.

The exercise’s stated aim is achieved through improving cooperation and the operational capabilities of the participating air and naval forces in peace-support operations, which include:

• Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) of persons and aircraft/boat/vessel in distress; and

• Checks and inspections of merchant ships, suspected of illegal activities (MLE – Maritime Law Enforcement Operations).

Training during the exercise is scheduled throughout to develop in different phases and evolutions, each with the aim of:

• Training the units in the correct use of standard distress alerts and maritime SAR procedures for missing persons and ships;

• Training Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) units in underwater EOD scenarios;

• Improving Italo-Maltese cooperation and integration of military forces, as well with other participating nations’ units, in check-and-inspection operations of merchant ships suspected of illegal activities;

• Training units in the execution of onboard merchant ship checks and inspections, and counter-piracy activities;

• Testing the interoperability of the different communications systems.

Participating forces will be deploying the following assets:

Italy

• Navy: Frigate Maestrale Class – ITS ESPERO, Offshore Patrol Vessel-OPV Comandanti Class – ITS FOSCARI with a helicopter onboard (AB212), Maritime Patrol Aircraft-MPA, Coastal Transport ITS LIPARI (as Target of Interest – TOI role), an Explosive Ordinance Devices-EOD team and a Boarding team;

• Air Force: two SAR helicopters (one HH-3F based in Trapani and one AB212 of the Italian Mission for Technical Military Assistance in Malta – MIATM);

• Coast Guard: one OPV Diciotti Class – ITS PELUSO, one Patrol Boat 200 Class and one MPA (Piaggio P166 DL3)

• Carabinieri: one Patrol Boat CC819 – MARONESE.

Malta

• An OPV MOD Diciotti Class – P61 and a Melita Class SAR launch;

• An MPA – BN2B Islander and one SAR helicopter (ALII Alouette);

• An EOD team and a Boarding team.

Algeria, France, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Portugal, Spain and Tunisia have accepted the invitation to participate with various naval units, patrol boats, aircraft and observers.

On Friday, the Exercise Canale Directing-Staff (DS) will host visitors from the Italian and Maltese governments on board Italian Navy ship ESPERO. From there, they will be able to observe some maritime activities in order to verify the level of training and interoperability achieved by the participating forces.