Since March 2026, following the crisis in the Gulf and requests from partner countries, Italy has deployed a military contingent to the Arabian peninsula in support of the armed and security forces of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain. The mission includes 2 components — one air, one land — whose composition has now been officially detailed by the Italian Ministry of Defence.
The air component is Task Force Air – Arabia, 400 Italian Air Force personnel spread across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain. The Task Force concurs to airspace surveillance and defence, force protection and the protection of national interests in the area, integrating early warning, C2, air defence, tactical transport, radar surveillance and counter-UAS capabilities. It comprises 5 Task Groups: ARGO, with an E-550A CAEW for early warning, air surveillance and C3; TYPHOON, with 4 Eurofighter TYPHOON fighters for air defence; MEDAL, with a KC-130J for tactical transport and MEDEVAC; KUWAIT, providing air surveillance through an AN/TPS-77 radar; and C-UAS, equipped with Leonardo's ACUS-Enhanced counter-drone system. MEDAL and TYPHOON share the callsigns of the pre-March 2026 Task Force Air – Kuwait previously based at Ali Al Salem. Italian TYPHOONs, together with the G-550 CAEW, effectively provide airspace security to a strategic partner for Italy such as Saudi Arabia, as well as to Kuwait and Bahrain — a significant political-military guarantee.
The land component is Task Force Land CERBERO, approximately 260 Italian Army personnel deployed across Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. CERBERO integrates a SAMP/T surface-to-air missile battery in Saudi Arabia for medium-range air and missile defence; a KRONOS GRAND MOBILE HIGH POWER radar, structured as a dedicated Task Unit and integrated into the Bahraini Air Operations Center; and a SKYNEX very-short-range air defence battery in the UAE.
A discrepancy in the MoD's own wording deserves attention. The mission mandate states that Italy supports the armed and security forces "of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait" in the defence of their airspace — with no mention of the UAE. Yet the same page lists Italian Army personnel as deployed in the UAE, and references "the provision of the same package to other countries of the Middle Eastern quadrant — United Arab Emirates and Bahrain".
At least part of the Italian personnel in Saudi Arabia is based at Al Taif air base, some 250 km from the Yemeni border, as suggested by recurring Italian Air Force traffic to and from the airfield . On 27 July an Italian Air Force KC-767A landed at Al Taif — not for the first time in recent weeks — while a KC-130J took off from the same base bound for Kuwait. Prior to the Iran–US war, Italian KC-767A used to land directly at Al Mubarak in Kuwait, while C-130s — fitted with self-protection suites — handled the tactical flights from Ali Al Salem to Erbil, flown in tactical profile with crews in individual protective equipment.
The new mission in the Gulf was made possible by a provision in the new Italian legislation allowing the Government to reposition forces and assets within the same geographical area covered by parliamentary-authorised military missions.
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