Fincantieri and Leonardo ready for the National Underwater Pole
The National Polo of the Underwater Dimension will be inaugurated in La Spezia, under the guidance of the Navy. The government has already allocated two million but according to the president of Aiad "more resources are needed". The role of Fincantieri and Leonardo.
Having recognized the strategic value of the "underwater" domain , an underwater center will be built in La Spezia.
This was confirmed by the Ministers for Sea Policies, Nello Musumeci, and for Defense, Guido Crosetto, in the context of the conference "Sea civilization – The underwater world, new environment for humanity" organized by the Leonardo Foundation – Machine Civilization and the Marine Military, hosted by the Naval Academy of Livorno.
The Ligurian capital will host the headquarters of the National Pole, at the Naval Support and Experimentation Centre. In fact, the CSSN is already a point of reference both for the activities currently carried out and for its proximity to other structures and infrastructures with similar interests.
"The 2023 budget law has allocated two million for the establishment of the National Polo of the underwater dimension to enhance and develop national skills and potential under the supervision and control of the Navy", explained Minister Musumeci. But they may not be enough according to the president of the Federation of Italian companies for aerospace, defense and security (Aiad), Giuseppe Cossiga: "20 million will be needed, if not 30, but not for a year, for five or six ”.
All the details.
THE ROLE OF THE UNDERWATER POLO
"The nascent diving hub represents the correct point of convergence of public and private interests, the best tool for creating skills and synergies in this segment for all players who have an interest", observed Tommaso Pani, senior Vice President of Italian Marketing and Strategic Campaigns by Leonardo during the event.
"La Spezia and its industrial fabric, characterized by the consolidated presence of big players and a SME network, is certainly the best context in which to develop diving in its complexity", underlined Cristiana Pagni, CEO of Italian Blue Growth. “It is no coincidence, in fact, that the naval base of La Spezia has already hosted Seafuture for several editions, the business convention inextricably linked to the sea, where the main Italian industrial realities meet with international delegations and numerous foreign companies that operate successfully in markets around the world".
Furthermore, "the diving center could be the entity that – under the guidance of the Italian Navy – will put all the companies operating in this sector into a system" according to Massimo Debenedetti, Corporate Vice President for Research & Innovation of Fincantieri.
THE FUTURE UNDERWATER DOMAIN OF ITALY
On the other hand, the defense attorney, Guido Crosetto, also remarked that the "underwater domain represents the future of Italy and the pole that will be built in La Spezia will allow for continued development in an area that will be central in the future".
In La Spezia, the minister explained, an underwater pole will be created which, through a public-private partnership, will serve to concretely implement Italy's objectives. “We will have a control room where we monitor everything that happens at the submarine level. It is fundamental for all nations and even more so for Italy, which is surrounded by the sea,” explained Crosetto.
MORE RESOURCES NEEDED FOR AIAD
However, "The National Underwater Center was a brilliant idea, but more resources are needed," said AIAD president Giuseppe Cossiga.
The president of the defense industries association recalled that the project involved everyone, "from the Navy to Parliament, up to the government, which found space in the Finance Act to create the hub". However, the two million that have been allocated are not enough, according to Cossiga. “20 million will be needed, if not 30, but not for a year, for five or six”. Otherwise, Cossiga pointed out, the national diving center "will remain just a good idea and the country will not be able to capitalize on its capabilities". According to the president of AIAD "Italians are very good at having great ideas, but the complicated thing is putting them into practice all together".
CROSETTO CONFIRMS USE OF FUTURE RESOURCES BY THE DEFENSE
The Defense Minister assured that “there will be a deep, concrete commitment fueled by budget allocations also from the Defense. Defense will try to be a coagulating system that brings together large, medium and small businesses". In fact, Crosetto added that he wanted to make a formal commitment: "A use of future resources by the Ministry of Defense on this domain to act as a driving force for Italian technology", a sector in which "we are already among the first in the world but we need a further impetus".
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/fincantieri-e-leonardo-pronti-per-il-polo-nazionale-subacqueo/ on Tue, 28 Mar 2023 06:57:37 +0000.