Nuclei militari di protezione, Military protection unit in Italy
The Nuclei Militari di Protezione are specialized Italian naval units assigned to protect merchant ships sailing through high-risk waters. The soldiers work in small teams and operate directly on board the vessels they are assigned to escort.
Italy created these units in July 2011 after a rise in attacks on merchant vessels sailing through international waters. They were placed under the San Marco Brigade, one of the oldest formations of the Italian navy.
These units maintain strong connections with local port communities while conducting maritime security operations across strategic Mediterranean locations.
Italian ship owners can formally request a team to escort their vessel when sailing through areas classified as high risk. The units are kept on standby and can board ships at short notice when a route requires protection.
The units are based at the Guillet logistics base in Djibouti, a small country on the Horn of Africa that sits at the entrance to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. This location lets them respond quickly to ships in the waters where piracy is most active.
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