Italy, Libya Deepen Military Ties Amid Russian Expansion
Lead
Italy’s top military officer traveled to Tripoli on September 10, 2026, to expand defense cooperation with Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Unity (GNU), agreeing to deepen training, cyber-defense and special-forces programs that Rome has increasingly framed as a counterweight to Russia’s growing military footprint in the country. The visit, led by Chief of Defence Staff Lieutenant General Luciano Portolano, built on a July 2026 agreement in Rome and comes days after Moscow shipped a new armored convoy to Libya’s eastern port of Tobruk, underscoring how the fractured North African state has become a proxy arena for competing foreign militaries.
What Happened
Portolano was received at the General Staff headquarters of the GNU in Tripoli by his Libyan counterpart, Lieutenant General Salah al-Din al-Namroush, according to Libyan and Italian reporting confirmed by the Libya Observer, Anadolu Agency and Agenzia Nova. The two generals reviewed progress on existing cooperation programs and agreed to expand training, capacity-building and the exchange of military expertise. Portolano and al-Namroush then traveled to the Libyan Ministry of Defence, where they met Deputy Defence Minister Major General Abdulsalam al-Zoubi.
The Tripoli meeting followed a July 2026 session in Rome, when al-Namroush visited Portolano at the Italian General Staff headquarters. That meeting produced an agreement to broaden the two countries’ 2020 defense cooperation pact with new elements, including cyber-defense training and Italian-language instruction delivered in Tripoli to prepare Libyan personnel for courses at Italian military institutions.
The Cooperation Framework
Italy’s engagement with Libya’s GNU rests on a December 2020 military-technical cooperation agreement covering training, equipment maintenance, border security and disaster response. Italy has since layered additional programs on top of that baseline: in March 2025, the two air forces’ chiefs of staff, Italy’s General Luca Goretti and Libya’s Brigadier General Emhamed Goujil, signed a technical accord to train Libyan pilots in Italy. Italian instructors have also run a special-forces training pipeline, with a third eight-month course for Libyan special-forces officers and non-commissioned officers concluding in Italy under the bilateral technical agreement between the two militaries.
Rome maintains roughly 100 personnel in Libya under its bilateral MIASIT support mission (Missione Italiana di Assistenza e Supporto in Libia), which Portolano visited during his Tripoli trip. Italy is also the lead nation for the Libyan component of Exercise Flintlock 2026, the annual US Africa Command special-operations exercise that this year includes parallel activities in Mauritania and Côte d’Ivoire, according to AFRICOM’s announcement with Libyan and Italian officials.
Who’s Involved
On the Libyan side, cooperation runs through the GNU’s General Staff under al-Namroush and the Defence Ministry under al-Zoubi, along with the Libyan Air Force under Brigadier General Emhamed Goujil. Italy engages Libya primarily through its Defence Staff under Portolano and its Air Force staff under Goretti. Notably, Agenzia Nova has also reported that Portolano separately received Saddam Haftar, a senior commander in the rival, Benghazi-based Libyan National Army (LNA) led by his father Khalifa Haftar, in Rome — indicating Italy is keeping channels open with the eastern faction even as its formal defense pact runs through the Tripoli government.
The Russia Factor
Libya remains split between the GNU in the west and an eastern administration backed by the House of Representatives and the LNA, with rival militaries aligned accordingly. Russia has built up a military presence at bases in eastern Libya since the paramilitary Wagner Group’s remnants were absorbed into the Kremlin-run Africa Corps, and reports place Russian personnel and equipment at as many as six Libyan air bases. On September 25, 2026, Russia shipped a new armored convoy to Tobruk in eastern Libya, according to open-source tracking — part of a pattern of resupply that has continued despite periodic Western objections.
Italian officials have described their training and institutional programs with the GNU as an alternative track to Moscow’s expanding footprint, aiming to build durable ties with Libyan security institutions without direct military confrontation with Russian-aligned forces in the east. Turkey, which maintains its own military cooperation agreement with the GNU dating to 2019 and has deployed forces and Bayraktar-series drones in support of Tripoli, remains the other major external military actor shaping the west of the country.
Why It Matters
Libya sits on Europe’s southern maritime frontier, and Italy has long treated stability there as a direct national-security and migration-management interest. A GNU security establishment trained, equipped and institutionally tied to Italy gives Rome leverage over migration routes, energy infrastructure and counterterrorism cooperation in the central Mediterranean. It also gives Italy a foothold to compete with Russian and Turkish influence without the costs of a larger military deployment. For Libya’s GNU, deepening ties with a NATO member helps offset dependence on Turkey while providing training pipelines the fragmented Libyan armed forces currently lack.
What Happens Next
Flintlock 2026 activities in Libya are expected to proceed under Italian Special Operations Command planning, and further rounds of Libyan special-forces training in Italy are likely given the pattern of successive eight-month courses. Whether Italy’s parallel outreach to Haftar’s LNA develops into a more formal channel remains unclear and would mark a significant shift, since Rome’s defense pact currently runs exclusively through the Tripoli-based GNU. Continued Russian resupply to Tobruk, including the September 25 armored convoy delivery, suggests Moscow will keep expanding its own footprint in the east in parallel with Italy’s efforts in the west.
FAQ
What did Italy and Libya agree during the September 2026 Tripoli meeting?
Italian Chief of Defence Staff Luciano Portolano and Libyan General Staff chief Salah al-Din al-Namroush agreed to expand training, capacity-building and expertise exchange, building on a July 2026 Rome agreement that added cyber-defense training and Italian-language instruction for Libyan personnel.
Why is Italy expanding military cooperation with Libya’s GNU?
Italian officials have framed the programs as an institutional alternative to Russia’s growing military presence in eastern Libya, while also serving Rome’s longstanding interests in migration control, energy security and counterterrorism in the central Mediterranean.
Is Italy also in contact with eastern Libya’s Haftar-led forces?
Yes. Agenzia Nova has reported that Portolano separately received Saddam Haftar, a senior LNA commander, in Rome, even though Italy’s formal defense cooperation pact runs through the Tripoli-based GNU.
What is Russia’s military role in Libya?
Russia’s Africa Corps, the successor to Wagner Group operations, maintains a presence at multiple air bases in eastern Libya and has continued resupplying forces there, including an armored convoy delivered to Tobruk port in late September 2026.
What is Exercise Flintlock 2026?
Flintlock is the US Africa Command’s annual multinational special-operations exercise in Africa. Its 2026 edition includes a Libya component led by Italy’s Special Operations Command, alongside parallel activities in Mauritania and Côte d’Ivoire.
Sources
- Military Africa, “Libya and Italy to deepen military ties,” September 27, 2026 — https://www.military.africa/2026/09/libya-and-italy-to-deepen-military-ties/ — primary regional report on the Tripoli meeting.
- Libya Observer, “Libya, Italy discuss military cooperation and training” — https://libyaobserver.ly/news/libya-italy-discuss-military-cooperation-and-training — independent confirmation from Libyan media.
- Anadolu Agency, “Libya, Italy ink military cooperation deal” — https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/libya-italy-ink-military-cooperation-deal/2066057 — independent wire confirmation.
- Agenzia Nova, “Chief of Defence Staff Portolano’s lightning visit to Libya” — https://www.agenzianova.com/en/news/visita-lampo-del-capo-di-stato-maggiore-della-difesa-portolano-in-libia/ — Italian-language reporting with details on MIASIT visit and Haftar meeting.
- Libya Update, “Al-Namroush Meets Italian Counterpart to Discuss Development of Military Cooperation” — https://libyaupdate.com/al-namroush-meets-italian-counterpart-to-discuss-development-of-military-cooperation/ — additional Libyan-side confirmation.
- AFRICOM, “Libya, Italy, and the United States Announce Flintlock 2026 Exercise in Libya” — https://www.africom.mil/pressrelease/36349/libya-italy-and-the-united-states-announce-flintlock-2026-exercise-in-libya — official confirmation of Italy’s Flintlock 2026 role.
- DefenseAndTech, “Russia Ships New Armored Convoy to Libya’s Tobruk Port,” September 25, 2026 — internal reporting on parallel Russian activity in eastern Libya.
