• Forum
• SITREP

• Military

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space
• Public Eye

Further Reading

Italian Army - Esercito Italiano EI

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Italy was divided for centuries into small states and principalities, each one of which had its own army. Before the time of Napoleon one cannot speak of an "Italian Army". Napoleon, after sweeping away the old dynasties, set up divisions of his own army, recruiting from all parts of Italy. For the first time, Italians fought under a single banner, the red-white-and-green flag of today. Italian regiments took an active part in most of the Napoleonic war, especially distinguishing themselves in the Russian campaign. The battle of Malo-Jaroslavetz (Oct. 24, 1812) is known in history as the "Battle of the Italians". "The glory of this day is yours," Napoleon said to his Italian army; "not even the Old Guard could have done better".

With the fall of Napoleon the various local princes returned to power. Italy was once more divided into various states, many of them under Austrian domination. Meanwhile, throughout Italy, a great historical movement known as the Risorgimento (Revival) was getting under way. Its aims were the unity, independence and freedom of the whole peninsula. The King of Sardinia, whose reign included Liguria and Piedmont as well, put himself at the head of this movement and in 1861 the Kingdom of Italy came into being. For the first time in 1400 years Italy was unified and free.

Along with the new kingdom came the first real Italian army, Because unification had been achieved under the leadership of the Kingdom of Sardinia, this army was an enlarged continuation of the Sardinian Army. Even today the names, flags and ceremonies of certain units go back to the former King of Sardinia.

Under the Defense white paper "Investing In Security - Transforming the Italian Military" published in early 2006, the base for transformation of the Italian Military is the 190,000-strong, all-volunteer Force, recently consolidated by suspending National service effective July 1st 2005 and underway to reach its definitive number. The All-Volunteer Force - is one of the cornerstones to pursue transformation. Significant capabilities are unthinkable without the availability of highly-qualified personnel, which can be ensured only through longterm employment.

Italian Army - 1980s Esercito Italiano EI

By 1985 the army consisted of 260,000 active duty soldiers, of which 189,000 were conscripts serving only 12 months. There were also approximately 1,200 volunteers, 26,000 non commissioned officers (NCOs), and 21,000 officers. An additional 550,000 were counted as reserves, but the number of reserves available for immediate mobilization was estimated at 250,000.

Structurally, the army consisted of four main components: the Central Command and Control Organization (CCCO); the Peripheral Territorial Organization (PTO); the Training Organization and Schools Directorate (TOSD); and the Operational Component (OC). The CCCO included the army general staff, the Inspectorate General of the Combat Arms, and the Logistical Services Command, which included the medical corps, quartermaster, ordnance, motor transportation, veterinary administration, and army light aviation materiel commands. The PTO comprised six regional commands: the Northwest, located in Turin; the Northeast, in Padun; the Tuscan Emilian, in Florence; the Central, in Rome; the Southern, in Naples; and the Sicilian, in Palermo. There were also 16 military zone commands, military districts, military hospitals, storage depots, maintenance and repair installations, and supply dumps for food, fuel, munitions, and various other logistical material. The TOSD was responsible for the schooling of military officers, NCOs, and specialized volunteers. The TOSD also directed the so called double face operational and training units that simultaneously maintain operational readiness and conduct initial training for all conscripted soldiers.

The OC consisted of eight separate service branches: armored cavalry, artillery, engineers, signals, army aviation, transport, logistics, and infantry. The infantry was divided into line infantry, grenadiers, mountain, light infantry, parachutists, amphibious, and armored. These components were organized into five armored and seven mechanized brigades grouped into four divisions (one armored, three mechanized); five Alpine (mountain) brigades; one separate mechanized infantry brigade; five motorized infantry brigades; and one airborne brigade. In 1985 there was also one missile brigade. The aviation component consisted of 52 helicopter squadrons and four aviation wings. The helicopter squadrons were responsible for reconnaissance, air to ground support, transport, and other airborne functions not performed by the air force itself.

Most combat units had NATO assignments and were deployed in the north central and northeastern parts of the country. Defense of the southern part of the peninsula and the islands had generally been left to the navy and air force. Non NATO units in southern Italy were primarily training brigades. The NATO chain of command that affected the Italian army ran from the Allied Command Europe (ACE) with headquarters at Mons, Belgium, to Allied Forces Southern Europe (AFSOUTH) with headquarters at Naples, to Allied Land Forces Southern Europe, commanded by an Italian general with headquarters at Verona.

The weapons and equipment used by the Italian army in 1985 varied in age and quality. At the beginning of the year about 1,750 main battle tanks were listed in the inventory, but nearly one third of these (550 United States M 47s manufactured during the Korean War) would be considered obsolete or at least obsolescent (see table 14, Appendix A). The remaining 1,200 main battle tanks were divided disproportionately: 300 M 60s from the United States and 920 Leopard is from the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). Many of the M-60 tanks were produced in Italy under license from the American companies holding the patents. Armored infantry and mechanized infantry units employed over 4,000 American made M106, M548, and M577 armored personnel carriers (APCs) as well as the Italian made AMX VCl. The improved version of the M 113 was also produced under license in Italy. Two other armored vehicles of Italian design and manufacture were also in service the Fiat 6614, an amphibious APC, and the Fiat 6616, an amphibious armored car.

The army also used several types of artillery weapons but has been working toward greater standardization of weapons and reducing the variety of weapons. The push toward standardization has resulted in greater use of the 155mm gun jointly developed by Italy, Britain, and West Germany and generally used throughout NATO. The mountain units were equipped with the lightweight, readily assembled 105mm pack howitzer (model 56) that had been developed in the 1950s by the Italian army. The missile brigade consisted of one Lance surface to surface missile company and three improved Hawk surface to air missile battalions.

In the 1980s the army continued to bolster esprit de corps through the adaptation of the wealth of colorful military traditions to the modern army. Personnel of the Alpine brigades, for example, wore the mountaineer cap decorated with a large black feather. Soldiers within the brigades continued to be drawn largely from the mountainous parts of northern Italy. Alpine units, first formed in 1872, had a distinguished combat record and were well regarded by the public because of their prompt assistance to victims of natural disasters, such as those affected by the 1985 dam collapse and flood in Val di Fiemme.

The Bersaglieri, all of whom were expert marksmen, were light infantry. They were organized in 1836 and were noted for their vigorous physical training. Characteristically, Bersaglieri advanced at a double time pace led by buglers. On parade they were always the final element. In 1985 the Bersaglieri served as the infantry to the armored divisions and brigades.

The amphibious regiment bore the name of the sixteenth century Venetian military unit, and its personnel were known as Lagunari, or Lagoon Infantry ("marines"). This unit selected many of its personnel from the inhabitants of the Adriatic coast near the mouth of the Po River. Since 1877 the Italian army has had special military units equipped to operate in the lagoons, marshes, and canals of this region.

In 1985 some NCOs were selected from the annual conscript pool. NCOs for the combat arms were trained at NCO schools located within each combat branch and sent as corporals to their units. They could be promoted to the rank of reserve sergeant. NCOs for the specialist branches were trained in the school for their specific branch of service. Conscript officers were selected on the basis of merit from those conscripts with high school certificates (maturitd) (see Education, ch. 2). They were given five months of training at the relevant branch school and then sent to their units with the rank of sergeant. If successful in that rank, they were promoted to the rank of reserve lieutenant upon completion of active duty.

Regular army officers (including those of the Carabinieri) were trained at the military academy in the Ducal Palace at Modem for two years. The modern military academy was formed in 1948 by the merging of the Infantry and Cavalry Academy of Modem and the Engineer and Artillery Academy of Turin. Officers then proceeded to an additional two year training period at the branch schools. Since 1949 the infantry, cavalry, artillery; engineer, and signals schools have been located in the Palace of the Arsenal in Turin. The transport school was located in Cecchignola, near Rome, and the Carabinieri school was also located near Rome.

Advanced training was given at the staff college in Civitavecchia, where selected captains undergo a two year advanced course. The joint general staff school in Rome also provided advanced training for officers of all four services, as did the Center of Higher Military Studies in Rome. The army also maintained a military preparatory school, the Nunziatella in Naples, which provided a boarding school education for prospective students in the academy at Modena.

Italian Army - 1960s Esercito Italiano EI

A number of steps were taken in the 1960s with regard to strategy, training and modernization of equipment. The Army was also engaged in research into future trends in military thinking, in view of the.constant evolution in technology and science. As a means of testing the theories elaborated, training was mainly devoted to tactical maneuvers concerning attack and defense by day and night.

In order to obtain an accurate picture of the composition of the Army in the 1960s, something must be said about its structure. There were two chief components - an Expeditionary Force and a Defense Force. Both consisted of highly mobile motorized and mechanized divisions, which can operate quite independently for long periods over any type of terrain. They included all the various branches, infantry, cavalry, artillery, engineers and communications, and general services. To these must be added the armored divisions, heavily armed, very mobile and able to operate against an enemy using nuclear or conventional weapons. Some modifications were made to their structure in recent years in order to facilitate command and movement. There were also some special units, such as the Alpine regiments, parachutists and missile groups, which are employed according to strategic needs.

The complicated weapons and equipment now used by the Army increased the need for highly specialized technicians. Training schools and centers are responsible for the training of permanent officers, N.C.O.'s, and other personnel undergoing compulsory military service. Educational and training organizaticn was given special care, for it was realized that the grade of efficiency necessary called for thorough basic instruction. Because of their immense value to the labor market, some mention must be made of the schools responsible for training technical personnel in permanent service and those who were undergoing compulsory military service. By means of these schools, the Army is able to give technical instruction to a large number of recruits; about 64,000 men were trained annually and given a diploma which will enable them to find employment in industry when leaving the Army. The training of short-term personnel also included courses in civic affairs and special courses are organized for illiterates and semi-literates.

It has been found that short-term personnel profited considerably from sport and physical training and this was provided for everyone. Those who are successful in meetings and competitions of national importance are able to continue athletic training in special companies stationed in Rome, Naples and Bologna. The School of Physical Education in Orvieto was responsible for training instructors, and units are thus assured of staff with considerable experience and competence. The evolution in technical media and procedure was such that the Italian Army was constantly faced with the problem of modernizing and strengthening units. This was generally done by planning and production on a national level and through supplies of materials and equipment produced under agreements with NATO.

A general plan covering replacement of weapons and equipment was started in 1962. It was approved because of the need to guarantee units thole factors necessary to modern operations, particularly fire power, maneuverability and defense. There had been several changes in personal weapons and mortars for the infantry, new tanks have been issued to armored units, engineers and communications branches had received new equipment, logistics have been revised for she purpose of improving the personal equipment and living conditions of troops, and drastic changes have been made in the medical branch. All units had reached a high grade of mobility.

The efforts made by the Army were continuing, and planning had become much more flexible. Changes and additions were made annually, thus enabling officers, NCOs and other ranks to keep pace with technical progress. A large part of the expenditure involved covered orders placed with national industry and this had undoubtedly economic, social (creation of new jobs, higher wages, amortization of expenditure for new plant), technical and scientific benefits (training of skilled tradesmen, technological progress, etc.). Research relative to modernization of equipment and materials was intense, because of the recognized need for operational efficiency and the faster pace of technological development.

In spite of the fact that allocations are not large, various important research projects were successfully concluded, and several new ones were initiated. Undoubtedly, many benefits have derived from international cooperation within the sphere of the Atlantic Alliance. This cooperation had fully demonstrated its value (joint research, co-production, exchange of information), and those nations which were less prosperous and less technologically advanced are able to play a profitable role in research, with beneficial results in many fields. Research covered all branches and, as a result of closer collaboration with industry and scientific bodies, had been highly productive. Industry was encouraged to specialize even more and to achieve higher technical levels.

The contributions which the Army made toward the social and economic progress of Italy include matters which are the direct responsibility of civil authorities. The Army was always asked to help local populations during natural calamities and when public utilities were threatened because of strikes. The following examples give some idea of what has been done. When certain regions of Sicily were heavily damaged by earthquake, about 3,500 troops, 560 motor vehicles and special equipment were sent immediately to the stricken zones. During the floods in Piedmont, the Army sent 4,000 troops, 700 motor vehicles, 15 helicopters, bridges and other equipment, food, medicines and shelters. About 32,000 troops and 1,300 motor vehicles of various kinds were employed throughout the year for a variety of reasons (postal services, road, rail and tram services, supplies of gas and electricity, medical services, fire fighting, supplies of waiter to isolated localities, etc,, ). Also, 50,000 troops were on duty at polling stations during the general elections.

The Boeing Company and AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, signed a contract May 13, 2009 for the manufacture and support of 16 ICH-47F Chinook helicopters for the Italian Army. The contract made Boeing the prime subcontractor to AgustaWestland for the new aircraft. The contract is worth approximately 900 million euros ($1.23 billion). Boeing will build the ICH-47F fuselage at its facility in Ridley Park, Pa. Prime contractor AgustaWestland will be responsible for design and systems integration, aircraft final assembly and delivery to the Italian Army. AgustaWestland was expected to begin deliveries in 2013.

Peacekeeping Operations

The peace-keeping missions performed by the Italian Army in the last decade of the XX century have shown how a military organization can rapidly and effectively adapt to the new scenarios and requirements challenging the international community. From 1945 to 1990, the peace-keeping function, with few exceptions, was the sole and direct responsibility of the UN. This organization, the first to suffer from the East-West confrontation, used to defuse all conflicts and crises by deploying observers and light military units to the theatre with very limited mandates and harsh restrictions.

In the late 1980's the international deadlock was broken. Thus, the UN could act more decisively and other actors, such as the EU and NATO, became important and sometimes critical supporters of international stability. Contrary to many people's expectations, the end of the cold did not solve the problem of instability. This threat to society has taken on new forms and aspects, obliging the international community to devise other measures tailored to asymmetric requirements. The requirement to send unarmed observers and light forces to monitor opponents not always ready to cooperate has been coupled with the need to deploy a large number of heavily equipped forces, in order to persuade the warring factions to solve their problems and harmonize their opposing views through dialogue and peaceful, though sometimes hard, confrontation.

The Italian Army is a good example of this genetic change. In fact, it has not only deployed helicopter units to Lebanon, observers to the Sahara desert or to the Kashmir mountains, but also "Mangusta" attack helicopters, "Centauro" light armoured vehicles and artillery self-propelled means to Somalia, Bosnia and Kosovo. However, even within this new framework, the Italian soldiers - both men and women, conscripts and volunteers, officers, NCOs and enlisted men - have always shown their usual professionalism, humanity and comprehension, being capable of establishing friendly relations with their peers, as well as with people speaking different languages and belonging to a wide range of cultures and traditions. In fact, even wearing a flak jacket or a blue or camouflage helmet, an Italian shows his generosity and intelligence.

It is a demanding task to give an overview of the operations carried out by the Italian Army within the peace-keeping missions performed in the last decade. If the wide range of names recalling different people, places, landscapes and memories are put together, they give us a blurred image of the world, where the mountains in Afghanistan and Kurdistan overlap with the jungles in Timor and Mozambique, the snow in the Balkans and the desert in the Sahara. In the background, there is the cracking of radios, the roar of helicopters and armoured cars and the echo of different languages and dialects. But, taking into account the commitment of forces during this year, that blurred image clears up. An underlying element is that the Italian Army is a force which supports peace everywhere and under all circumstances, and is ready to sacrifice its men -and now women as well. Personnel serve long tours abroad, silently fulfilling their duties with no complaints, only wishing to do their job properly. Over the years, some of them have come home wrapped up in the Italian flag, accompanied by the grief of their comrades in arms and received by their distressed families.

Our thanks go to all the Italian soldiers - dead and alive - for their sacrifice, wounds, mutilations, fatigue, illnesses and suffering abroad, which did not prevent them from fulfilling their duties. Thus, they gained the respect, appreciation and friendship of their comrades from member and partner countries, as well as the gratitude of the supported populations.

These missions are characterized by different ranges of colours. Besides the blue and white typical of UN operations, new colours have been progressively adopted to camouflage military means ad adapt them to different scenarios, from the African to the Arctic ones. These types of camouflage are in line with the new demanding and wide-ranging commitments Italy is called upon to meet, besides its institutional tasks, such as the defense of the country and its institutions.

Moreover, all this shows how the concept of peace-keeping has changed, to include combat operations as well, in the support of peace. Paradoxically, today the requirement is felt to deploy forces capable of carrying out high intensity operations, instead of patrolling calm and silent cease-fire lines. From Mozambique to Afghanistan, from Kosovo to Rwanda, not only has the Italian Army deployed paratroopers and rangers, but also heavy units and means, showing once again the capabilities and effectiveness of its personnel and organization.