Head of the programme: Alessandro Marrone [2]
Research team: Elio Calcagno [3], Vincenzo Camporini [4], Ottavia Credi [5], Federica Di Camillo [6], Karolina Muti [7], Michele Nones [8], Stefano Silvestri [9]

IAI Defence Programme studies four complementary strands: the policies adopted by governments as well as international institutions and organizations in the defence field; the operational developments and civil-military cooperation; the relevant industrial and technological dynamics; the politico-strategic level of decision-making. Such an integrated approach is unique in Italy. The focus is on both the European context, particularly the EU and European defence, and the Euro-Atlantic one with a particular attention to NATO.

Its team of researchers leads or participates in European research consortia, produces articles, reports and academic publications, organizes public conferences and closed-doors seminars, and it is active in informing and stimulating the Italian and European debate.

The Defence Programme has built up over time a wide and deep-rooted network with policy-makers in Italian institutions (Ministry of Defence [10], Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Economic Development, Prime Minister Cabinet, Parliament [11]), EU (European Defence Agency [12], European Commission, European Parliament) and NATO (NATO Defence College [13], Allied Command Transformation [14], NATO Public Diplomacy Division [15]). It has also developed strong relations with various interlocutors in the aerospace, security [16] and defence [17] industry in Italy and Europe.

Established as an autonomous programme in 2018, it conducts its activity in close collaboration with the Security Programme [18]. In doing so, it relies on IAI’s 50 years long tradition of research in the field of security & defence, as well as of interaction with decision-makers and the public.

View a list of current projects [19].