Date of Graduation

Spring 2026

Degree

Master of Science in Defense & Strategic Studies

Department

School of Defense & Strategic Studies

Committee Chair

James Anderson

Abstract

Within the last five years the Indo-Pacific has become a region of increasing interest to European NATO members. In particular, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy have assigned strategic importance for their national security to the region, signing cooperative agreements with regional allies of the United States and deploying significant forces to the region. These agreements include commitments to jointly develop new technologies and combat systems for employment in both Europe and the Indo-Pacific, such as the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), and the Trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States (AUKUS). They also include commitments to the forward-deployment of military capabilities to the region, along with a regular presence of European Carrier Strike Groups. The United Kingdom, France, and Italy are the three next largest naval powers in NATO after the United States and contribute considerably to NATO’s security in Europe. The degree of resources each invests in the Indo-Pacific region could impact their ability to perform their traditional roles in European security, while also weighing on the strategic calculus in the Indo-Pacific. Each nation has their own reasons and strategies for engaging in the region, with varying degrees of commitment and intended scale of engagement. It is important for the United States to understand the depths and limits of European strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific in order to accurately contextualize what role they might play and their potential impacts on U.S. policy in the region. This thesis intends to examine the Indo-Pacific strategies and intentions of the United Kingdom, France, and Italy, along with the development of forces key to these efforts, to produce a clearer picture of what their role in the region over the coming decades will be. This will be used to analyze their implications to U.S. policy in the Indo-Pacific, and how the United States can best leverage these efforts to bolster regional stability and maintain deterrence against the People’s Republic of China.

Keywords

Indo-Pacific, United Kingdom, France, Italy, South China Sea, AUKUS

Subject Categories

Defense and Security Studies | International Relations

Copyright

© Joshua G. Zinicola

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