Crosetto asks EU to add ships or funding to Operation Aspides after Red Sea delays hit Italian traffic
Published · Updated
What happened
Italy's defence minister said the EU should strengthen Operation Aspides by assigning more naval assets or by increasing financial support after renewed Red Sea disruption delayed Italian merchant shipping.
Why it matters
The request puts immediate pressure on EU member states to show whether the mission has enough assets to protect commercial transit in a corridor linking Europe with the Suez route. If no reinforcement follows, shipping delays and insurance costs can persist while national governments face pressure to provide escorts or reroute cargo.
On September 18, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto publicly asked the EU to reinforce the Aspides naval mission in the Red Sea with additional ships or, alternatively, more financial support. The request followed renewed disruption to Red Sea shipping that has begun delaying Italian merchant traffic. The development turns an ongoing maritime-security mission into a live test of whether Italy can secure trade routes through EU burden-sharing rather than relying on national measures alone.
Watch for
EU Military Staff or Council spokesperson confirmation by 2026-09-22 of additional naval assets assigned to Operation Aspides Italian Defence Ministry notice by 2026-09-22 of any national ship redeployment to the Red Sea or Bab el-Mandeb Operation Aspides headquarters update by 2026-09-22 on convoy activity, escorted transits, or revised force posture in the Red Sea Confitarma or the Italian Coast Guard acknowledgement by 2026-09-22 of continued delays or rerouting for Italian-flagged or Italy-bound merchant vessels
Sources
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