At the beginning of the 21st Century, Italy launches an ambitious program of revision of its military system. The legislative base for this new military policy is the “White Paper for International Security and Defence”. The article discusses the content of the nation’s strategic military doctrine and its influence on the self-identification of Italy within the North Atlantic Alliance, covering the Italian position on the defence of NATO’s Southern and Eastern flanks. The study pays particular attention to the problem of Italy’s military system’s conformity to NATO standards. The author analyzes the perspectives of Italy’s leadership in the Euro-Mediterranean region, taking into account the outcomes of the NATO Warsaw Summit (2016) and the results of the recent US election.