Amidst Washington’s push for European support in the Indo-Pacific, has Italy proven overly eager to pivot east? Faced with the choice between directly supporting U.S. efforts to counter Beijing in the region or concentrating resources on emerging threats closer to home, Italy, as one of the most active contributors to U.S.- or NATO-led military initiatives, has opted for the former. Without much debate, Italy has expanded its military presence in the Indo-Pacific, initiating significant collaborations with various regional countries, and deploying naval units to the region. As Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently announced, this effort will intensify in 2024, when Rome deploys its aircraft carrier strike group to the area.
Matteo Mazziotti di Celso is a PhD candidate in security and strategic studies at the University of Genoa (Italy) and a research fellow at the Center for Geopolitical Studies. He is also a captain in the Italian Army. The views expressed in this content are those of the author and do not reflect position or opinions of the Italian military.
