Italian Army

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Coat of Arms of the Italian Army
Coat of Arms of the Italian Army
Dardo IFV on exercise in Capo Teulada
Dardo IFV on exercise in Capo Teulada
Soldiers of the 33rd Field Artillery Regiment "Acqui" on parade
Soldiers of the 33rd Field Artillery Regiment "Acqui" on parade

The Italian Army (Esercito Italiano) is the ground defense force of the Military of Italy. On July 29, 2004 it became a professional all-volunteer force of 115,000 active duty personnel. The headquarters of the Army General Staff are in Rome, opposite the Presidential Palace.

Contents

The Armed Forces of Italy are under the command of the Italian Supreme Defense Council, presided over by the President of the Italian Republic. The Italian Army is commanded by the SME or “Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito” (Chief of the Army General Staff) in Rome. The Chief of staff has direct control of all support and logistics operations in Italy (i.e. military clinics, repair facilities, acquisitions,…), but no direct control of the operational forces, which are all assigned to and commanded by COMFOTER: “Comando delle Forze Operative Terrestri” (Command of Operational Land Forces).

See also: List of active units of the Italian Army

COMFOTER has direct command on a NATO rapid reaction Corps Command (NRDC-IT), of four support brigades (Artillery, Air Defense, Logistics, Engineering), as well as command of the Army Aviation, the Army Communication and Transmission command and of three commands called COMFOD 1, COMFOD 2 and COMALP, which between them command the actual 11 Italian combat Brigades. The attached units are in detail:

Structure of the Italian Army (click to enlarge).
Structure of the Italian Army (click to enlarge).

The NRDC or "NATO Rapid Deployable Corps" is located in Solbiate Olona and has a support brigade at its dependency, formed by:

  • Support Brigade in Solbiate Olona (Lombardy)
    • 1° Signal Regiment in Milan (Lombardy)
    • (33°) Logistic Support Regiment in Solbiate Olona (Lombardy)

Alpini from the Taurinense Brigade.
Alpini from the Taurinense Brigade.

“Comando Truppe Alpine” (Alpine Troops Command) or COMALP has command over the professional Mountain Troops of the Italian Army, called "Alpines", in Italian Alpini. It is located in Bolzano and consist of the following units:

“Comando Forze di Difesa 1” or COMFOD 1 resides in the north-eastern city of Vittorio Veneto (Veneto) and commands the most specialized brigades of the Italian Army:

  • “Mantova” Infantry Division Command (without fixed units)
  • “Ariete” Armored Brigade in Pordenone (Friuli-Venezia Giulia)
    • 4° Tank Regiment in Bellinzago Novarese (Piedmont) with 54 Ariete
    • 32° Tank Regiment in Tauriano (Friuli-Venezia Giulia) with 54 Ariete
    • 132° Tank Regiment in Cordenons (Friuli-Venezia Giulia) with 54 Ariete
    • 3° Bersaglieri mechanized Infantry Regiment in Milan (Lombardy) with 59 VCC (M113 improved)
    • 11° Bersaglieri mechanized Infantry Regiment in Orcenigo Superiore (Friuli-Venezia Giulia) with 59 Dardo
    • 132° Self Propelled Artillery Rgt. “Ariete” in Maniago (Friuli-Venezia Giulia) with 32 M109/L, which will be replaced within 2008 by the PzH 2000
    • 10° Engineer Regiment in Cremona (Lombardy)
    • "Ariete" Combat Service Support Battalion in Pordenone

“Comando Forze di Difesa 2” or COMFOD 2 resides in S. Giorgio a Cremano near Naples and commands 5 brigades. Three of those, the brigades “Aosta”, “Pinerolo” and “Granatieri di Sardegna” are made up of one year volunteers and therefore intended for use mainly on Italian soil. The COMFOD 2 commands:

  • “Acqui” Division Command (without fixed units)
  • "Acqui" Combat Service Support Battalion in Naples
  • “Garibaldi” Bersaglieri Mechanized Brigade in Caserta (Campania)
    • 131° Tank Regiment in Persano (Campania) with 54 Leopard 1
    • 19 °Cavalry Regiment “Cavalleggeri Guide” in Salerno (Campania) with 50 Centauro and 33 Puma 4x4
    • 1° Bersaglieri Regiment in Cosenza (Calabria) with 59 Dardo
    • 8° Bersaglieri Regiment in Caserta (Campania) with 59 Dardo
    • 8° Self propelled Artillery Regiment “Pasubio” in Persano (Campania) with 24 M109/L, which are currently being replaced by the PzH 2000
    • 21° Engineer Regiment in Caserta (Campania)
    • "Garibaldi" Combat Service Support Battalion in Caserta
Soldiers of the 8° Cavalry Regiment “Lancieri di Montebello”
Soldiers of the 8° Cavalry Regiment “Lancieri di Montebello”
Soldiers of the 6° Cavalry Regiment “Lancieri di Aosta”
Soldiers of the 6° Cavalry Regiment “Lancieri di Aosta”
Soldiers of the Sassari Brigade
Soldiers of the Sassari Brigade
  • “Granatieri di Sardegna” Mechanized Brigade in Rome (Lazio)
    • 1° “Granatieri di Sardegna” Mechanized Infantry Regiment in Rome (Lazio) with 41 Puma 6x6
    • 2° “Granatieri di Sardegna” Mechanized Infantry Regiment in Spoleto (Umbria) with 41 Puma 6x6
    • 8° Cavalry Regiment “Lancieri di Montebello” in Rome (Lazio) with 50 Centauro and 33 Puma 4x4
    • 33° Self propelled Artillery Regiment “Acqui” in l'Aquila (Abruzzi) with 24 M109/L
    • "Granatieri di Sardegna" Combat Service Support Battalion in Rome
  • “Pinerolo” Mechanized Brigade in Bari (Apulia)
    • 31° Tank Regiment (Battle lab) in Altamura (Apulia)
    • 7° Bersaglieri Regiment in Bari (Apulia) with 59 VCC (M113 improved)
    • 9° Infantry Regiment “Bari” in Trani (Apulia) with 59 VCC (M113 improved)
    • 82° Infantry Regiment “Torino” in Barletta (Apulia) with 59 VCC (M113 improved)
    • 21° Self propelled Artillery Regiment “Trieste” in Foggia (Apulia) with 24 M109/L
    • 11° Engineer Regiment in Foggia (Apulia)
    • "Pinerolo" Combat Service Support Battalion in Bari
  • “Aosta” Mechanized Brigade Messina (Sicily)
    • 6° Cavalry Regiment “Lancieri d’Aosta” in Palermo (Sicily) with 50 Centauro and 33 Puma 4x4
    • 6° Bersaglieri Regiment in Trapani (Sicily) with 59 VCC (M113 improved)
    • 5° Infantry Regiment “Aosta” in Messina (Sicily) with 59 VCC (M113 improved)
    • 62° Infantry Regiment “Sicilia” in Catania (Sicily) with 59 VCC (M113 improved)
    • 24° Self propelled Artillery Regiment “Peloritani” in Messina (Sicily) with 24 M109/L
    • 4° Engineer Regiment in Palermo (Sicily)
    • "Aosta" Combat Service Support Battalion in Messina
  • “Sassari” Mechanized Brigade in Sassari (Sardinia)
    • 151° Infantry Regiment “Sassari” in Cagliari (Sardinia) with 59 VCC (M113 improved)
    • 152° Infantry Regiment “Sassari” in Sassari (Sardinia) with 59 VCC (M113 improved)
    • 5° Engineer Regiment in Macomer (Sardinia)

“Comando Trasmissioni e ed Informazioni dell’Esercito” or CoTIE is the Italian Army’s Signal and Information Command, it resides in Anzio (Lazio) and consists of the following units:

  • Signal Brigade for Maneuver Support
    • 2° Signal Regiment (Alpini) in Bolzano with the Battalions:
    • 7° Signal Regiment in Sacile with the Battalions:
      • "Rolle"
      • "Predil"
    • 11° Signal Regiment in Civitavecchia (Lazio) with the Battalions:
      • "Leonessa"
      • "Tonale"
    • 232° Signal Regiment in Avellino (Campania) with the Battalion:
      • "Fadalto".
  • Signal Brigade for National Support
    • 3° Signal Regiment in Rome (Lazio) with the Battalions:
      • "Lanciano"
      • "Abetone"
      • "Gennargentu".
    • 32° Signal Regiment in Padova (Veneto) with the Battalions :
      • "Valles"
      • "Frejus".
    • 46° Signal Regiment in Palermo (Sicily) with the Battalions:
      • "Mongibello"
      • "Vulture".
  • C4-IEW ISTAR/C4 development and integration Brigade
    • RSISC4 regiment in Treviso (Veneto)

The Army Aviation Command resides in Viterbo and includes the non combat flying formations of the Army (i.e. Transport Planes, support helicopters,…)

  • Army Aviation Instruction Center in Viterbo
    • 1° Squadron “Auriga” in Viterbo with 6 A129, 6 AB205, 6 AB 212, 6 AB412 and 47 AB 206
    • 2° Squadron “Sestante”
    • 21° Squadron “Orsa Maggiore” in Elmas (Cagliari) with 12 AB 205
  • Army Aviation Brigade
    • 1° Army Aviation Regiment “Antares” in Viterbo (Lazio) with 36 CH-47C "Chinook" and 6 AB412
    • 2° Army Aviation Regiment “Sirio” in Lamezia Terme (Calabria) with 12 AB 212 and 6 AB205
    • 4° Army Aviation Regiment “Altair” in Venaria (Piedmont) and Bolzano with 18 AB 205
    • 28° Army Aviation Squadron “Tucano” in Viterbo (Lazio) with 3 Dornier DO-228 and 3 Piaggio P-180
    • ITALAIR Squadron in Naqoura (Lebanon) with 4 AB 205

  • 4° Air Defense Regiment “Peschiera” in Mantova with 30 Hawk surface-to-air missile systems
  • 5° Air Defense Regiment “Pescara” in Rovigo with 30 Hawk surface-to-air missile systems
  • 17° Air Defense Regiment “Sforzesca” in Sabaudia with Skyguard "Aspide", SIDAM 25 and Stinger (2 Battalions)
  • 121° Air Defense Regiment “Ravenna” in Bologna with Skyguard "Aspide", SIDAM 25 and Stinger

  • 2° Bridge Engineers Regiment in Piacenza
  • 6° Pioneer Engineers Regiment in Rome
  • Railway Engineers Regiment in Castel Maggiore (near Bologna; 2 Battalions)

  • 1° Maneuver Logistics Regiment in Rivoli
  • 6° Maneuver Logistics Regiment in Pisa (Tuscany)
  • 10° Maneuver Logistics Regiment in Persano (Campania)
  • 24° Maneuver Logistics Regiment (Alpini) “btg Dolomiti” in Merano (South Tyrol)
  • 1° Transport Regiment in Bellinzago Novarese
  • 6° Transport Regiment in Budrio
  • 8° Transport Regiment in Orzano
  • 10° Transport Regiment in Bari (Apulia)

The following support units are not under the command of COMFOTER and their role is exclusively the support of units on Italian soil. They are commanded by various sub staffs of the SME- Army General Staff in Rome.

  • Training Brigade in Capua
    • 1° Infantry Regiment “San Giusto” in Trieste
    • 17° Infantry Regiment “Acqui” in Capua
    • 47° Infantry Regiment “Ferrara” in Capua
    • 57° Infantry Battalion “Abruzzi” in Sora
    • 78° Infantry Regiment “Lupi di Toscana” in Florence
    • 80° Infantry Regiment “Roma” in Cassino
    • 85° Infantry Regiment “Verona” in Montorio Veronese
    • 91° Training Battalion “Lucania” in Potenza
    • 123° Infantry Regiment “Chieti” in Chieti
    • 235° Infantry Regiment “Piceno” in Ascoli Piceno
  • other Training units:
    • 1° Tank Regiment in Capo Teulada (Sardinia)
  • Technical Support and Logistics units:
    • Military Region North
    • Military Region South
      • 44° Signal Support Regiment in Rome
      • 1° Army Aviation Support Regiment “Idra” in Bracciano
      • 4° Army Aviation Support Regiment “Scorpione” in Viterbo
  • Others
    • 8° Transport Regiment “Casilina”
    • 11° Transport Battalion “Flaminia”
    • 57° Infantry Battalion “Abruzzi” in Rome

Collar patches worn by soldiers of the Italian Army.
Collar patches worn by soldiers of the Italian Army.

All brigades may be deployed outside Italy and are often involved in either war-fighting or peace-keeping operations on foreign soil. The brigades are combat brigades, numbering between 3-7,000 troops each. These units are the pride of the Italian Army and are a front-line well-equipped force capable of dealing with most emergency situations. They are characterised by quality, efficiency, motivation and mobility. In total numbers the Italian Army can field about 85,000 ground troops out of a total Army strength of 112,000 men and women. But although most units are designated as regiments they consist of one expanded Logistics, Support and Command company and a combat battalion, which- in the case of the infantry (Alpini, Bersaglieri, Granatieri, Lagunari, Fanti) units- consists of:

3 Infantry Companies
1 Mortar Company
1 Antitank Company

The naming has historical reasons. Most regiments are deployed singularly, especially the support brigades' regiments as adjuncts to combat units, formed for the task ahead.

Ariete
Ariete
Freccia
Freccia

PzH 2000
PzH 2000
MLRS
MLRS
A129 Mangusta
A129 Mangusta

The Italian Army operates 484 aircraft, including 471 helicopters.

Aircraft Origin Type Versions In service[1] Notes
Agusta A129 Mangusta Flag of Italy Italy attack helicopter CBT 60
Agusta A109 Flag of Italy Italy utility helicopter A109A
A109EOA		 4
23
Bell 205 Flag of the United States United States utility helicopter AB 205A 89 built by Agusta
Bell 206 Flag of the United States United States utility helicopter AB 206A
AB 206B
56		 built by Agusta
Bell 212 Flag of the United States United States transport helicopter AB 212 12 built by Agusta
Bell 412 Flag of the United States United States transport helicopter AB 412 23 built by Agusta
Boeing CH-47 Chinook Flag of the United States United States transport helicopter CH-47C 36 built by Agusta
NHI NH90 Flag of Europe European Union transport helicopter TTH 60 on order
Dornier Do 228 Flag of Germany Germany utility transport Do 228-200 3
Piaggio P180 Avanti Flag of Italy Italy utility transport 3

A post-World War II peace treaty signed by Italy prevented the country from deploying military forces in overseas operations as well as possessing fixed-wing vessel-based aircraft for twenty-five years following the end of the war.

This treaty expired in 1970, but it would not be until 1982 that Italy first deployed troops on foreign soil, with a peacekeeping contingent being dispatched to Beirut following a United Nations request for troops. Since the 1980s, Italian troops have participated with other Western countries in peacekeeping operations across the world, especially in Africa, Balkan Peninsula and the Middle East.

As of yet, the Italian Army has not engaged in major combat operations since World War II; though Italian Special Forces have taken part in anti-Taliban operations in Afghanistan as part of Task Force 'Nibbio'. Italy was not yet a member of the United Nations in 1950, when that organization went to war with North Korea.

Italy did take part in the 1990-91 Gulf War but solely through the deployment of eight Italian Air Force Panavia Tornado IDS bomber jets to Saudi Arabia; Italian Army troops were subsequently deployed to assist Kurdish refugees in northern Iraq following the conflict.

As part of Operation Enduring Freedom in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks, Italy contributed to the international operation in Afghanistan. Italian forces have contributed to ISAF, the NATO force in Afghanistan, and a Provincial reconstruction team and 5 Italian soldiers have died under ISAF. Italy has sent 411 troops, based on one infantry company from the 2nd Alpini Regiment tasked to protect the ISAF HQ, one engineer company, one NBC platoon, one logistic unit, as well as liaison and staff elements integrated into the operation chain of command. Italian forces also command a multinational engineer task force and have deployed a platoon of Italian military police. Three AB 212 helicopters also were deployed to Kabul.

The Italian Army did not take part in combat operations of the 2003 Second Gulf War, dispatching troops only after May 1, 2003 - when major combat operations were declared over by the U.S. President George W. Bush. Subsequently Italian troops arrived in the late summer of 2003, and began patrolling Nasiriyah and the surrounding area. On 26 May, 2006, Italian foreign minister Massimo d'Alema announced that the Italian forces would be reduced to 1,600 by June. As of June 2006 32 Italian troops have been killed in Iraq - with the greatest single loss of life coming on November 12, 2003 - a suicide car bombing of the Italian Carabinieri Corps HQ left a dozen Carabinieri, five Army soldiers, two Italian civilians, and eight Iraqi civilians dead.

As of 2006, Italy ranks third in the world in number of military forces operating in peacekeeping and peace-enforcing scenarios Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Lebanon following only the United States and United Kingdom.

A recent law promotes membership of the Italian Army guaranteeing volunteers post-Army careers in the Carabinieri, Italian State Police, Customs Police, State Forestry Department and other state bodies.

  1. ^ "World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 15, 2007.

 v • d • e Military of Italy
Esercito Italiano (Army)   Marina Militare (Navy)   Aeronautica Militare (Air Force)  Carabinieri (Military Police)
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