Why it matters: NATO’s decision to hand Italy command of Joint Force Command Naples marks a significant step in the Alliance’s internal rebalancing: greater operational responsibility for European allies, continued U.S. leadership of theatre commands, and a clear political signal about the durability of the transatlantic bond.
The news: On February 6, Allies agreed on a new distribution of senior officer responsibilities within NATO’s command structure, announced today through an official statement.
- Under the new arrangement, Italy will take command of Joint Force Command Naples, currently led by the United States. In parallel, the United Kingdom will assume command of Joint Force Command Norfolk, while Germany and Poland will rotate command of Joint Force Command Brunssum.
- As a result, all three Joint Force Commands — four-star operational headquarters responsible for managing crises and conflicts — will be led by European allies.
- The United States will retain leadership of all three theater component commands, including taking responsibility for Allied Maritime Command, while maintaining the role of Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
- Implementation will be gradual, in line with existing personnel rotation schedules.
What they’re saying: NATO Military Committee Chair Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone framed the agreement as part of a shared effort to strengthen the Alliance.
- Allies, he said, agreed on a fairer distribution of responsibilities, with a stronger role for Europeans in military leadership and, at the same time, a clear confirmation of the United States’ commitment to NATO.
- The goal, he stressed, is an Alliance that is “stronger, united, and ready for today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.”
The deeper view: According to Ambassador Alessandro Minuto-Rizzo, President of the NATO Defense College Foundation and former Deputy Secretary General of NATO, Italy’s assumption of command in Naples should be read as part of a broader structural evolution of the Alliance rather than a short-term or ad hoc decision.
- “Reforming NATO’s command structure has always been a complex and delicate process,” he explained in an interview with our sister website Formiche, as it requires political balance among member states and decisions designed to endure over time.
- Minuto-Rizzo stressed that the Naples command is not limited to the Mediterranean. It also covers the Balkans — a strategic priority for Italy — and reflects NATO’s focus on partnerships with the Arab world. In this context, assigning the command to a European country such as Italy fits the logic of increased European responsibility without calling into question the central role of the United States within the Alliance.
Why Naples matters. Joint Force Command Naples is one of NATO’s three four-star operational headquarters and serves as the Alliance’s main command hub for the southern flank. From its base in southern Italy, JFC Naples oversees a vast strategic area stretching across the Mediterranean, the Balkans, and parts of the Middle East and North Africa, and plays a central role in crisis management, contingency planning, and partnership engagement.
- Beyond its geographic scope, Naples matters because it sits at the intersection of NATO’s military posture and its political outreach to the South.
- The command is a key interface with partner countries in the Arab world and the broader Mediterranean, and it has long been a platform for initiatives aimed at stability, capacity building, and dialogue rather than large-scale force projection.
- In this sense, leadership in Naples requires not only operational competence but also a deep understanding of regional dynamics and alliance politics.
- Assigning the command to Italy underscores the growing weight of European allies in managing NATO’s southern priorities, while anchoring the headquarters in a country whose geography, historical role in the Alliance, and focus on the Mediterranean make it a natural hub for this mission.
The Southern flank. As for threats on NATO’s Southern flank, Minuto-Rizzo noted that they are fundamentally different from those on the eastern front.
- International terrorism, chronic instability across the Middle East and North Africa, and the strengthening of partnerships with countries in the region represent the main challenges.
- A European commander in Naples, he added, can better articulate these priorities within the Military Committee and the North Atlantic Council, making a more effective case for sustained attention to the southern flank.
- Finally, Minuto-Rizzo linked the command reshuffle to broader changes in the global strategic environment.
- With U.S. attention increasingly focused on the Indo-Pacific, the Alliance must balance a reduced American physical presence in Europe with greater responsibility assumed by European allies.
- This, he concluded, does not amount to U.S. disengagement, but rather to a redistribution consistent with the global nature of contemporary security.
The bottom line: Italy’s takeover of NATO’s Naples command strengthens the European profile of the Alliance on its southern flank and consolidates Italy’s role across a strategic arc stretching from the Mediterranean to the Balkans and into partnerships with the Arab world — within a NATO that remains firmly anchored to the transatlantic relationship.
