The international exercise Pitch Black 24, which began recently in Darwin, Australia, and includes Navy and Air Force assets, will continue until August 2. "An important and complex training activity” - commented Minister Guido Crosetto - "with which the Defense wants to test the ability to operate in distant areas, such as the Indo-Pacific, which will have increasing strategic and economic importance, as well as security implications. In conjunction with regional partners and allied nations, we will address shared challenges". The Royal Australian Air Force organized a large-scale training exercise with 20 participating nations, including the United States, Great Britain, France, and Indo-Pacific countries. In particular, the Italian Navy is represented by the Italian Carrier Strike Group, which comprises the frigate Alpino and the aircraft carrier Cavour. The utilization of the Navy and Air Force F-35Bs on the aircraft carrier is indicative of the advancement of the national joint projection capability from the sea with fifth-generation aircraft, rendering Italy the sole nation in the European Union that can ensure this capability. For the exercise, the Air Force deployed its most powerful air assets: defense, attack, mobility, intelligence, and security.
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