The armed forces Italian (indicated with the abbreviation of FF.AA.) are all the means, people and structures that serve to militarily defend the territory of the Italian State. Hierarchically they depend on the Ministry of Defensewith the role of commander in chief being covered by the President of the Republic. They include: Italian Army, Navy, Air Force and Carabinieriwhile the Financial Police It is a special police force with military organization that depends on the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The task of the Armed Forces is to defend the national territory from a military point of view, including land, sea and air space, and also represent Italy in international missionsboth military and peacekeeping and research and monitoring.
The Italian Army
THE’Italian Army, born May 4, 1861, is the land defense military force, formed in 2023 by 99,457 unitsof which approximately 94,000 military units and more than 5,000 civilians. Hierarchically, the top of the organizational structure is represented by the Chief of staffwhich has the function of Command of the Armed Forces. For the organization of the structure it is assisted by the General Staff governed by the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army. The top commands are the Logistics Command and the Command for Training, Specialization and Doctrinewhich deals with the training, specialization and updating of personnel. The Chief of Staff also reports to the Ground Operations Command.
The Italian Navy
There Navy It is the armed force responsible for militarily defending the marine space Italian and the Mediterranean area while ensuring the navigation safety maritime and of commercial trafficas well as the fight against piracy and the fight against drug trafficking. It also has functions of research and protection of biodiversity navy and civil protection in the event of natural disasters. Its structure is in fact based on a operational sectorone logistic and one of training, also being engaged in activities of research and teaching with schools and training institutions. Hierarchically, the top of the organization is represented by the Chief of Staff of the Navyon which also depends the Port Authority Corps theNavy Hydrographic Institutethat is, the body that produces the official national nautical documentation. The logistics command is based in Naples and is divided into Interregional Maritime Commands, located throughout the national territory and divided into areas: North, West, Center and Capital, South and Sicily.
The Navy is composed of 31.869 unit of military personnel And 9.616 unit of Civilian personnel. Its means include naval, underwater and air forces. Among the naval forces some types of vehicles used are minesweeper, destroyer missile launchers, frigates, patrol vessels, aircraft carrier (the Cavour and the Giuseppe Garibaldi), aircraft carriers, as well as tankers, water supply vessels and support and research vessels. The oldest naval unit of the Italian Navy still in operation is the sailing ship Amerigo Vespucciwhich has a service behind it 93 years old and has been appointed ambassador of UNESCO and UNICEF. From July 2023 to February 2025 it will sail for 20 months, calling at the ports of around 30 countries, making the around the world.
The Italian Air Force
The Air Force military It is the armed force that deals with the defense and control of the Italian airspace and also participates in the surveillance of the Euro-Mediterranean and Euro-Atlantic space, taking part in international missions. In addition to the mere defensive activitiesthe Air Force also carries out search and rescue functionsassistance in case of natural disasters and activities of training And research in the sector space and aerospace, taking part in studies and experiments in the meteorological and aerospace fields. Hierarchically it depends on the Chief of staff, the General Staff is responsible for the coordination and organization of the various activities of the armed forces, and is divided into three main commands: The Logistics Command, The Air Team Command and the Schools Command.
The Air Force is composed of 36,850 unitswhile the main combat vehicles used are the Panavia A-200 Tornado, the hunter Eurofighter Typhoon (F-2000A) and F-35s. In addition to these, the Air Force has Helicopters, drones and special purpose aircraft and aircraft for supply and transportation, surveillance and training. The national aerobatic team falls into this last category. (PAN) of the Tricolour Arrowsborn in 1961 at the Rivolto air base, in Friuli Venezia Giulia. The aircraft used is the Aermacchi MB 339. Initially the aircraft featured a blue diamond with a black arrow inside, but in 1962 the three green, white and red arrows with the colours of the Italian flag were used: thus the name “frecce tricolori” was born.
The Carabinieri Corps
THE’Carabinieri Corps performs special functions of gendarmerie and military police. Until 2000 he was doing part of the Army while now it is configured as a autonomous armed force. Among its functions, it deals with the integrated defense of the national territory and the public safetymaintaining public order. It can therefore carry out both police duties and military duties, supporting the various military missions both in Italy and abroad, which special taskssuch as escort services. From an organizational point of view, the Arma sees at the top the General Command of the Carabinieri, which directs and coordinates all activities and its governing body is the General Staff. Then there are the Interregional Command, the Command of the Carabinieri Schools which deals with training and education, the Mobile Unit Command, The Command of environmental, forestry and agri-food units and others departments with specific tasks, like the Corazzieri or the Carabinieri department of the Presidency of the Republic.
The Carabinieri have a staff of 108,000 units on a threshold that the law provides 117,943 units; from the point of view of the means supplied to the force, the main ones are: service cars, armoured vehicles for particular dangerous situations which require ballistic protection, drones and from the point of view of weapons they are equipped with pump-action shotguns, assault rifles and pistols (generally the Beretta 92 is used in the SB and FS versions).
Is the Guardia di Finanza part of the armed forces?
There Financial Police it’s a body of police with military orderwhich in some war or emergency situations, can contribute to the political-military defense of the borders of the State and, in case of conflict, also to the military operations being used as complementary armed force. It does not depend on the Ministry of Defense but on the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
