Italian Defence Minister Crosetto’s bilateral visit strengthens the Indo-Mediterranean

The Indo-Mediterranean has historically been a volatile region. The Roman, Persian and Indian empires jostled for primacy over millenia, even as the region saw the genesis of four of the world’s most influential religions. While conflict has plagued the Horn of Africa and the Bab al-Mandab for decades, the Middle East has exploded into a new series of conflicts which were so far hypotheticals. The Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on the 7th of October, has literally opened a Pandora’s box that doesn’t look like it is closing any time soon.

The current closure of the Strait of Hormuz has demonstrated the centrality of trade routes and how easily asymmetric warfare can disrupt, and even shut down, the global economy.

India and Italy are both peninsular countries with vast coastlines projecting into their seas. Their defence relationship is an important pillar of a broader strategic partnership. It is becoming one of the most practical dimensions of the bilateral relationship, driven by maritime security, defence manufacturing, cyber resilience, undersea capabilities and India’s search for trusted industrial and ecosystem partners beyond its traditional suppliers.


In this context, the first bilateral visit to India of Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto carries great importance and significance for the Indo-Mediterranean partnership. The visit comes immediately after Crosetto’s tour of the Gulf- the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar- just before the UAE’s historic withdrawal from OPEC. Since the Meloni government has taken office, the UAE and Italy have become strategic defence partners, while Italy has deepened its ties as an industrial supplier and partner to Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The visit also comes at a heightened moment in India’s Gulf outreach, with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval visiting both Saudi Arabia and the UAE in a time of quickly evolving prioties and alliances.

As both Italy and India consolidate their Gulf alliances, Crosetto’s meetings with NSA Ajit Doval and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh carry natural multilateral connotations on Iran, Hormuz, terrorism and energy.

But the visit also consolidates the joint vision of Prime Ministers Meloni and Modi in the 2025–2029 India–Italy Joint Strategic Action Plan, which commits both sides to negotiate a Defence Industrial Roadmap, promote co-production and co-development, intensify defence research exchanges, deepen maritime cooperation and expand collaboration in cybersecurity and cybercrime. This is also reflected in the exchange of the Bilateral Military Cooperation Plan 2026–2027 which was exchanged during the visit.

An apt example is the Adani Defence and Leonardo partnership on helicopters. The partnership is significant because it includes phased indigenisation, MRO, training and the development of local industrial capacity. Announced in February 2026, the agreement aims to create an integrated helicopter manufacturing ecosystem in India, focusing on Leonardo’s AW169M and AW109 TrekkerM platforms.

Such agreements are politically essential for both countries. For India, they signify Aatmanirbhar Bharat and co-ownership, reducing dependence on imported platforms while building an aerospace ecosystem within the domestic industrial base. For Italy, the agreement positions Leonardo as a long-term, dependable technology partner in one of the world’s largest helicopter markets, rather than merely another exporter. It also demonstrates a willingness to “Indianise” its technology and opens the doors to one of the worlds largest markets with qualified young manpower.

The naval dimension is immensely strategic. India has announced a major programme for the purchase of four Landing Platform Dock (LPD) vessels. These ships would give the Indian Navy stronger amphibious mobility, humanitarian response capability, island reinforcement capacity and expeditionary reach across the Indian Ocean, at a time where it is called to play a greater role in the Indian Ocean Region. Fincantieri’s experience with the Italian Navy’s LHD Trieste, commissioned last year, is key. Its design philosophy and functionality overlap with India’s need for LPDs that can operate across military, evacuation and disaster-response scenarios, as do its size and ability to be customised.

The undersea domain is already moving into reality. In December 2025, Fincantieri’s WASS Submarine Systems secured a major contract to supply heavyweight torpedoes to the Indian Navy. The deal, described as the largest in WASS’s history, covers Black Shark Advanced torpedoes, launch systems, maintenance equipment, spares and operational support. The Indo-Mediterranean, where both countries are net security providers, are in great need of underwater security and protection against asymmetric warfare from state and non-state actors.

The Indian Ocean is becoming increasingly contested both above and below the surface. Chinese naval activity, submarine deployments, seabed sensors, infrastructure vulnerabilities and the growing importance of anti-submarine warfare all make underwater capability central to India’s maritime strategy. Add to this the use of unmanned marine explosive drones and mines in Hormuz, as well as Pakistan’s induction of Chinese technology-oriented Hangor-class Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) submarines, and the threat expands across both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Italian defence companies bring serious depth and proven capability in torpedoes, sensors, underwater systems and naval integration.

Cyber and hybrid security are another natural area of convergence. Modern defence industrial cooperation depends on cyber-secure supply chains, protected command systems, encrypted communications, resilient ports and trusted digital infrastructure, which is also a key component of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, IMEC. The bilateral action plan creates the basis for this.

For India, Italy offers advanced technology without the political baggage of other countries, and a sincere will to share IPR, technology and know-how. For Italy, India offers scale, demand, industrial depth and access to the Indo-Pacific’s strategic space. Both are strong partners of Japan, and India is also evaluating the Global Combat Air Programme, a UK–Italy–Japan initiative for a sixth-generation fighter aircraft.

There is great understanding and friendship between the two leaders, Prime Ministers Modi and Meloni, who lead two important democracies and understand the challenges of democratic governance in volatile times. The visit comes at an opportune moment, just weeks before Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Rome, creating the context for a closer security partnership. At a moment in global history such as this, India and Italy can serve, as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said at the Raisina Dialogue in 2023, as lighthouses that can “shine and allow all of us to navigate troubled waters.”

Vas Shenoy is the Chief Representative for Italy of the Indian Chamber of Commerce since 2023. An Italian entreprenuer of Indian origin, he is the founder of the Indo-Mediterranean Initiative (cnky.in).