The amphibious force of the Italian Navy has conducted marine training exercise Phibex off the southern port of Taranto.

The exercise saw participation from the navy's two amphibious ships, ITS San Giusto and ITS San Marco, which were deployed to support the San Marco marine infantry brigade.

Nearly 700 men and women, 250 of the landing force, 320 crew members of the two ships, and around a hundred pilots, technicians and aviation warfare system operators of the various Navy air components supported the exercise.

"The exercise aimed at providing a real-time scenario for the forces to exercise their combat skills."

In a bid to promote a realistic warlike scenario, the team conducting the exercise gradually increased the difficulty to assess the combat capability of the crew deployed into the amphibious force.

Claimed to be the first air-sea training event for the Italian Navy this year, the exercise aimed at providing a real-time scenario for the forces to exercise their combat skills, as well as imparting overall training to the navy.

Amphibious operations are considered to be important to improve the navy's capabilities to support disaster relief operations during a natural disaster, or a foreign military raid.

The Italian Navy divers from the Gruppo Operativo Subacqueo (GOS) had, last month, conducted a regular training dive. The team is currently deployed in Operation Atalanta's flagship, ITS Carabiniere.

Image: Helicopter aboard the Italian amphibious ship during the exercise. Photo: courtesy of Italian Navy.