“In the security domain, Rome’s growing awareness of the Indo-Pacific is already translating into tangible defense cooperation and joint exercises. In 2024, the aircraft carrier Cavour led Italy’s first major Indo-Pacific deployment, conducting operational and training activities with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, including interactions with the Izumo-class vessels Izumo and Kaga as they transition to operating F-35B fighters. The deployment supported Italy’s embarked air component to reach Initial Operational Capability (IOC), while offering operational lessons relevant to Japan’s own emerging carrier aviation. A further Italian naval presence in Japan later this year is expected to reinforce regional stability and interoperability.”
“Within this framework, the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), a joint Italy-Japan-U.K. initiative, illustrates how defense and industrial cooperation can signal strategic alignment and strengthen technological autonomy without requiring sustained or large-scale force projection.”
“In the framework of ‘Global Mediterranean’ – stretching beyond the basin to include the Red Sea, the Gulf, and the Indian Ocean – the Indo-Pacific is not a distant theater. The Indo-Mediterranean concept makes this continuity explicit, linking maritime security, trade routes, and infrastructure across the geostrategic space connecting Europe and Asia, including East Africa and the wider Middle East. Through the Mattei Plan and its bridging role between Europe and Africa, Italy can position itself as a platform for synergies in extra-regional contexts, particularly for critical resource value chains, where the Lobito Corridor, a strategic platform for connectivity, critical raw materials and sustainable development, offers a good example.”
https://thediplomat.com/2026/01/italys-global-mediterranean-turns-to-the-indo-pacific/
See also: Italy’s Taiwan mission signals a broader Indo-Pacific pivot
https://decode39.com/13219/italys-taiwan-mission-signals-a-broader-indo-pacific-pivot/