The Italian Special Forces include special forces units from several branches of the Italian Armed Forces:[1] the Esercito Italiano (Army), the Marina Militare (Navy), the Aeronautica Militare (Air force) and the Arma dei Carabinieri (Gendarmerie).
Italian Armed Forces special units are divided into Special Forces (TIER 1)[citation needed] and Special Operations Forces (TIER 2), and the Comando operativo interforze delle forze speciali (Joint Special Forces Operations Headquarters) is responsible for the operations carried out in response to Defense requirements.[2]
The Italian Navy special forces unit is the Divers and Raiders Grouping "Teseo Tesei" (Comando Raggruppamento Subacquei e Incursori Teseo Tesei - COMSUBIN). Specifically the 250-350 men of the Operational Raiders Group are the special forces section of the elite unit.
COMSUBIN's origins lie with the famous Italian special units "X MAS" (Italian acronym for Anti Submarine Motorboats). The name referred to an early vehicle employed by the units, an explosive-laden crewless motorboat ("barchino") which was aimed and launched against enemy submersibles (keep in mind that until well after World War II subs were essentially surface ships with the capability of temporarily diving underwater for attacks). After World War I much study and development went into underwater raid techniques but the unit's name was never altered, leading to the false impression that Italian seafaring commandos were still relegated to anti-submarine warfare only.Instead many flotillas were armed and equipped to direct raids on enemy ships using explosive head-charges in guided torpedoes with 2-man crews (Siluri a Lenta Corsa or S.L.C.), with hand explosive charges (by frogmen) or with small, fast, self-explosive boats (S.M.A.).
There is an unusual opening at the stern. This appears to be a cylindrical storage tube but with an open end, so it would be wet storage. The end of tube is covered by a grate door which is suitable to be opened by divers from the outside. Whatever is in this section appears to have dictated the shaping of the stern, imposing a significant compromise on hydrodynamics. Possibly this hangar is for carriage of specialist equipment and may hint at the role of the craft.
It does not necessarily follow that this vehicle is designed for the same types of special forces missions as swimmer delivery vehicles (SDVs) in other countries. Italian special forces, while influenced by certain foreign units, tread their own path in this regard. The submarine may be intended for a specialist mission we can only guess at.
The Italian special forces are Italian units designed to conduct special operations. These units are from distinct branches such as the Italian Armed Forces, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Arma dei Carabinieri.
Although there was no official press release from authorities about the incident at the time, Italy's Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto had made a comment saying there had been a blitz by Italian special forces to rescue a Turkish cargo ship hijacked by pirates armed with daggers.
An Italian Navy NH90 NATO frigate helicopter and an MH-60S Sea Hawk, attached to the "Tridents" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 9, offload soldiers assigned to the Albanian Special Operations Regiment in a landing zone during a joint training operation on the island of Sazan, Albania, July 12, 2023. The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is participating in Neptune Strike, a multiyear effort focused on harmonizing U.S. and NATO planning teams to transfer command and control of Allied naval and amphibious forces to STRIKFORNATO, to provide assurance, deterrence, and collective defense for the Alliance. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jacob Mattingly)
This volume assesses the formidable Special Forces fielded by Italy's navy and air force in World War II. Italian Navy Special Forces were particularly active and respected in the Mediterranean, where 10th Motor-Torpedo Boat Flotilla used frogmen, 'two-man torpedoes' and explosive ram-boats. The Italian Air Force formed a special commando unit, ADRA, before the 1943 surrender; it was tasked with attacking Allied airfields and communications in North Africa. Men from ADRA and Army paratroopers formed the new 'Folgore' Regiment, which also continued to fight alongside German forces until 1945. In both cases, the pro-Allied Italian forces also formed 'mirror' units to fight alongside US and British forces, including the Recce Squadron 'F'. Featuring rare photographs and specially commissioned artwork, this book tells the story of the little-known elite forces fielded by Italy's navy and air force in World War II, some of whose successors remain in service with today's Italian armed forces.
This volume by leading Italian historian, Pier Paolo Battistelli, looks at the elite and special forces units of the Italian Army during World War II (1939-1945). This includes a vast array of troop types including paratroopers, assault engineers, sea-landing and swimmer units, long-range recce and ski units, and even hand-picked Fascist 'Mussolini' units. It also delves into the specialist tank and armoured units that were created to emulate the German armoured units. The Italian units discussed here enjoyed mixed success but the volume does draw attention to the incredible hard fighting done by some, particularly in the deserts of North Africa and the frozen wastelands of Russia. Illustrated with rare archival photographs and specially commissioned artwork this is a fascinating insight into a little-studied aspect of Axis forces.
A modular area in the covered aft section of the deck is designed for various types of operation, including naval assault operations and release and recovery of commandos involved in special operations. Specific configurations are available for the installation of a containerized decompression chamber to support underwater activities.
On Friday (June 9) Italian special forces were landed by helicopter on board a Turkish-flagged cargo ship. Their mission, it was initially reported, was to overpower a group of about 15 migrants who were attempting to hijack the ship, armed with knives.
The UK news agency The Guardian reported that people fleeing political persecution, war, and hardship are forced to take more hazardous routes to seek asylum in Europe in an attempt to avoid violence from security forces in the Balkans on land and the Libyan coast guard at sea.
"Instead, the EU and member countries have chosen to furnish money, vessels, training, and aerial surveillance to abusive Libyan armed groups so they can intercept and forcibly return people to Libya. There, these migrants face systematic and widespread abuses including torture, arbitrary detention, forced labor, and sexual assault," Hanan Salah, Human Rights Watch Associate Director for the Middle East and North Africa Division wrote last February.
The three decades following Vietnam witnessed Special Forces participation in virtually every campaign fought by the U.S. Army. In Grenada, Haiti, Panama and in the Balkans, Special Forces teams conducted unconventional warfare operations in support of the regular Army. In Operation Desert Storm, General Norman H. Schwarzkopf described the Special Forces as "the eyes and ears" of the conventional forces and the "glue that held the coalition together."
In the post 9-11 Global War on Terrorism, Special Forces teams were instrumental in establishing the Northern Alliance coalition that ousted the Taliban government in Afghanistan in Operation Enduring Freedom and were critical to the success of the Coalition ground campaign in Iraq. In Operation Iraqi Freedom, Special Forces teams trained and fought with the Kurds in northern Iraq, cleared the western desert of Scud missiles and provided long-range special reconnaissance to the Coalition ground forces on the drive to Baghdad.
The "Quiet Professionals," Special Forces units are today deployed worldwide displaying their dominance in full-spectrum operations through their unconventional warfare expertise. From humanitarian assistance and training of indigenous forces, to direct action and special reconnaissance missions, Special Forces Soldiers live up to the Special Forces motto: De Oppresso Liber, "To Free the Oppressed".
The operation was completed successfully. The stowaways on the Turkish-flagged Galata Seaways were caught by the Italian security forces as a result of a search and disembarked. We would like to thank all our officials who contributed; I convey my best wishes to our sailors," wrote Minister Uraloglu.
A Turkish cargo vessel that Italian special forces boarded after the crew detected a group of unidentified people on board is now sitting off the southern city of Naples, website MarineTraffic showed, while police continue to investigate the situation.
Italian special forces boarded a Turkish cargo vessel on Friday after the crew detected a group of unidentified people onboard, some of them armed, Rome's defence ministry said on Friday, adding the operation was still under way.
After departing Riga, Charlie Company, BLT 1/6, with elements of the German Sea Battalion and Italian San Marco Brigade Marines attached and fully integrated, executed a full-mission profile amphibious assault at the beach in Ventspils, highlighting the relevancy of the force to integrate and interoperate with our Allies and partners in the U.S. European Command area of operations. More so, this amphibious assault marked the first time a U.S. MEU(SOC) landing force participated in this multinational naval exercise.
The Bataan ARG and embarked forces of the 26th MEU(SOC), under the tactical command and control of Task Force 61/2, is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied, and partner interests.
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