Please join the Atlantic Council for the next event in its Defense-Industrial Policy Series, “The US-Italian Defense Relationship: A Strategic and Industrial Partnership.” This event, hosted by the Forward Defense practice of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, will be conducted via Zoom on Thursday, October 7, 2021, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. EDT and will feature keynote remarks by Italian Ambassador to the United States Amb. Mariangela Zappia, as well as welcoming remarks by Atlantic Council Board Director and Former Supreme Allied Commander Europe GEN Curtis Scaparrotti, USA (Ret.) and introductory remarks by Leonardo SpA Chief Executive Officer Alessandro Profumo. To receive the zoom link, please register by clicking the REGISTER button above.


As the United States continues to reorient its defense posture toward great-power competition, it will need to more closely integrate its defense-industrial base with those of its allies. Among the United States’ closest allies is Italy, which has cultivated capabilities that are now integral to the US defense-industrial supply chain. This event marks the release of a new Atlantic Council issue brief, Una Squadra Vincente: The US-Italian Defense-Industrial Partnership, which describes the substance of this partnership and assesses the contribution of this “winning team” to the industrial preparedness of the United States and to the effectiveness of the North Atlantic alliance generally.


We hope you can join us for what promises to be an important and timely discussion. To receive the virtual Zoom link, please register by completing the registration form below. 

This event features:

Keynote remarks by

Amb. Mariangela Zappia

Ambassador, Embassy of Italy to the United States

The agenda also includes:

Welcome remarks by

GEN Curtis Scaparrotti, USA (Ret.)

Board Director, Atlantic Council; Former Commander, US European Command; Former Supreme Allied Commander Europe, NATO

Introductory remarks by

Alessandro Profumo

Chief Executive Officer, Leonardo SpA; President, AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe

Introducing the Ambassador is

William J. Lynn III

Chief Executive Officer, Leonardo DRS; Board Director, Atlantic Council

A panel discussion featuring

Dr. James Hasik

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Forward Defense, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council; Co-Author, “Una Squadra Vincente: The US-Italian Defense-Industrial Partnership”, Atlantic Council Issue Brief

Mr. Jesse Salazar (Invited)

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Industrial Policy, US Department of Defense

Lauren M. Speranza

Director, Transatlantic Defense and Security, Center for European Policy Analysis

Moderated by

Leah Scheunemann

Deputy Director, Transatlantic Security Initiative, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council

Hosted by

Steven Grundman

Senior Fellow, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council

Forward Defense, housed within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, generates ideas and connects stakeholders in the defense ecosystem to promote an enduring military advantage for the United States, its allies, and partners. Our work identifies the defense strategies, capabilities, and resources the United States needs to deter and, if necessary, prevail in future conflict.