On 8 July, acting Libyan Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Salaheddin al-Namroush was received in Rome by the Chief of the Italian Defense General Staff General Luciano Portolano, following a formal welcoming ceremony at the headquarters of the Italian General Staff. Both reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening defense cooperation and building upon the positive achievements of recent years to enhance the professional capabilities of military personnel from both nations. Central to their discussions was an expansion of joint training, capacity building, and expert exchanges.
The leaders agreed to broaden the scope of the 2020 Italian-Libyan defense cooperation agreement by introducing a comprehensive package of educational initiatives. This includes advanced cyber defense training and Italian language programs hosted directly in Tripoli, with the aim to prepare future Libyan candidates for courses at Italian military institutions. Additionally, al-Namroush expressed a strong interest in boosting technical and industrial cooperation with major Italian defense corporations. Both Generals emphasized the strategic importance of the Italian-Libyan partnership as a stabilizing factor in the wider Mediterranean region.
On 9 July, al-Namroush visited the Italian Joint Special Forces Command (Comando interforze per le Operazioni delle Forze Speciali, COFS) and met with the Commander of the Italian Joint Special Operations Forces Vice Admiral Paolo Pezzutti, to discuss advancing bilateral special forces cooperation. The talks focused on enhancing the training and qualification programs for Libyan special forces by drawing on Italian expertise. Both senior officers discussed mechanisms to boost operational readiness and efficiency, while outlining a comprehensive training plan designed to develop the field skills and capabilities of Libyan special forces personnel.
In the afternoon, al-Namroush and his accompanying delegation visited the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno. Al-Namroush met with the Commander of the Naval Academy to review the institution’s core academic and operational activities. The discussions expanded beyond naval education to explore the preparation, qualification, and training methodologies utilized at the Military Academy of Modena. The visit concluded with a personal meeting between al-Namroush and the Libyan students currently enrolled at both the Naval Academy of Livorno and the Military Academy of Modena. After receiving an update on their academic and military progress, al-Namroush praised the students’ dedication and highlighted the critical importance of leveraging their newly acquired expertise to support the long-term modernization and development of the Libyan military.
On 10 July, al-Namroush visited the Messina Naval Arsenal in Sicily to review the progress of the work on the Libyan Landing Ship Tank (LST) Ibn Haritha, which is currently undergoing overhaul and maintenance there. Al-Namroush was received by Vice Admiral Vincenzo Montanaro, Commander of the Italian Navy’s Logistics Command and Naval Commander in Sicily, alongside the ship’s commander and crew. During the visit, a meeting was held to review the primary maintenance activities, the current execution phases, and the expected delivery date of the vessel once the overhaul and maintenance works are fully completed.
On 11 July, al-Namroush concluded his visit to Italy with a tour of the Italian Air Force Academy in Pozzuoli near Naples. Welcomed by Air Force Schools Commander Lieutenant General Francesco Vestito and the Academy Commander, al-Namroush received an in-depth briefing on the academy’s strategic vision, training programs, and modern aviation curricula. He also toured the academy’s advanced technical facilities and met with Libyan students currently studying there, encouraging them to excel as they will form the core of the Libyan military’s future development.