Relations between the United States of America and Italy in the post-Cold War period: a defense industrial perspective

This article analyzes U.S.-Italian relations after 1989 from a defence-industrial perspective. It argues that the concentration and internationalization of the Italian defence industry, particularly through the creation of Finmeccanica, influenced bilateral relations by introducing a new element into defence industrial cooperation between the two countries. Military procurement programs involving American and Italian governments and industries, based on several memorandums of understanding, have become an important component of transatlantic relations. In turn, these programs are influenced by the broader military and political relations between the United States and Italy, which have been particularly intense regarding Italy's contribution to U.S.-led crisis management operations in Europe, Central Asia and the greater Mediterranean. The paper argues that there is a two-way relationship between defence industrial cooperation and politico-military cooperation.

Keywords: military procurement, defence industry, transatlantic relations, crisis management operations, F-35