Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said on Friday that the contributions to the European Union’s Aspides naval mission remained insufficient to protect shipping in the Red Sea and ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels. His position comes as Rome presses its allies to allocate more resources to protect shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Crosetto welcomes Aspides reinforcements and calls for more
In a statement issued after his meeting in Rome with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Crosetto welcomed the decision by some member states to provide additional resources to the mission. The Italian minister did not identify the countries that had decided to increase their contributions, but stressed that the reinforcements announced so far remained below the level needed to secure the passage of commercial vessels.
Italy called on its allies last month to expand their participation in the European naval operation. Rome said at the time that it was ready to deploy Italian ships directly, in order to avoid delays that could result from the EU’s decision-making process, as part of efforts to provide greater protection for the shipping route.
Kallas sets out the mission’s warship requirements
Last month, Kallas also said that the Aspides operation needed more than 10 warships to carry out its mission effectively. That estimate compares with the mission’s current deployment, as diplomats said that six warships were currently taking part in the operation.
The European Union launched the Aspides mission in 2024 to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea from attacks by Yemen’s Houthis.
Italy’s current demands focus on increasing European resources and military participation, enabling the mission to carry out its task of protecting commercial vessels and shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait more effectively.
