AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy — Senior leaders from the United States military and the Italian armed forces gathered at Aviano Air Base for the biannual Joint Military Commission January 14 - 15, 2026, reinforcing the long-standing partnership between the two nations and reaffirming their shared commitment to regional security and cooperation.
The JMC serves as a key forum for high-ranking officials from both militaries to discuss strategic priorities, operational coordination and mutual concerns affecting bilateral defense activities in Italy and throughout the region. The commission provides an opportunity for open dialogue and collaboration at the senior leadership level.
“We see the importance of cooperation and moving forward to the common benefit,” said Rear Adm. Marco Montoneri, deputy head of Strategic Direction and Military Cooperation of the Italian Defense General Staff. “We have much work to do and are looking at many positive achievements in the future. We are committed to working together to solve problems and reach good results.”
During the session, participants addressed a wide range of topics, including joint base concerns, infrastructure development, training opportunities, quality of life for spouses and families, and ongoing and future operations. Emphasis was placed on ensuring alignment between Italian and U.S. military objectives and burden sharing while maintaining transparency and respect for national sovereignty and host-nation agreements.
Aviano Air Base continues to play a critical role in supporting combined operations and strengthening interoperability between Allied forces. Hosting the JMC at Aviano highlighted the importance of the base’s strategic location as a fighter wing south of the Alps.
“We want to demonstrate to our Italian Allies, base commanders, and other Italian leaders the importance of the C-UAS and other collaborative work required in order to provide strong deterrence,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Chris A. McKinney, deputy director J5 U.S. European Command. “This is true not only for Aviano Air Base, but for counter unmanned aircraft systems deterrence in all of our joint bases in Italy.”
U.S. and Italian leaders underscored the value of their enduring Alliance, noting that regular engagements through forums such as the U.S.-Italy Joint Military Commission enhances mutual understanding and strengthens the ability of both forces to respond effectively to evolving security challenges.
In addition to discussing current concerns and goals for the two Allied nations, they also discussed plans for the upcoming months.
“We have a couple of action items out of this JMC that we are looking forward to closing by the next JMC in the summer,” explained U.S. Air Force Col. Beau Diers, 31st Fighter Wing commander. “In the future, we will have different authorities and permissions to ensure the safety and operational ease of our mission here.”
As global and regional security environments continue to evolve, the JMC remains a cornerstone of U.S. and Italian military partnership. The continued dialogue and collaboration demonstrated at Aviano Air Base reflects the enduring strength of the Alliance and the shared commitment of both nations to strategic deterrence, successful partner nation relationships and collective defense.
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