The German and Italian Navies are looking to increase their submarine fleets again in light of evolving security challenges, senior officials said at the Subcon 2015 conference on submarine technology organised by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) in Kiel.
Germany
An “arc of instability” now spans several continents, exacerbating maritime security challenges, and the Ukraine crisis has highlighted the need to still consider more traditional security challenges, noted Vice Admiral Andreas Krause, the head of the German Navy.
The Baltic Sea is also re-emerging as an area of importance for the German Navy including the ability to exert sea control and have a deterrent sea denial capability, added Captain Henning Faltin, head of future naval plans at the German Ministry of Defence. Ensuring a safe and open maritime space is important for regional countries and key to the Baltic states’ access to the world in particular.
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Italy
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However, instability and conflict on the shores of the Mediterranean, its importance for trade – and more recently, as a conduit for human and drug trafficking – has led the Italian Navy to step up its use of submarines. In light of the situation, two Italian boats have been continuously deployed for patrols off Libya since March, according to the commander of the navy’s submarine force, Rear Admiral Dario Giacomin. The submarines were also active in support of anti-piracy missions in the Indian Ocean from 2010-13.
Full article: Germany, Italy may increase submarine fleets (IHS Jane’s 360)
Global Geopolitics 