Mussolini entered the war before Italy was ready

The Regia Marina's relative readiness did not mean Italy could sustain a major war. Even Mussolini accepted Hitler's assurance that a general war would wait until 1942 and believed Italy needed about three more years to prepare. He hesitated, then entered when France appeared close to defeat because he expected a short war and feared being excluded from the spoils. The calculation was intelligible within that expectation, but the expectation proved disastrously wrong. Italy's naval competence remained separate from the political decision that committed an unready state to the Second World War.