Editing Italian Armed Forces (section)

==The four branches of Italian Armed Forces==

===Italian Army===
{{Main article|Italian Army}}
[[File:Exercise TRIDENT JUNCTURE (22804826445).jpg|thumb|[[Lagunari]] reconnaissance member in a security patrol]]
[[File:Italian Army - 8th Alpini Regiment sniper team during exercise Abbey Road 2019.jpg|thumb|[[8th Alpini Regiment]] snipers in winter ghillie suits]]

The [[Italian Army]] ({{Langx|it|Esercito Italiano}}; abbreviated as  '''EI''') is the [[Army|land force]] branch of the Italian Armed Forces. The army's history dates back to the [[Italian unification]] in the 1850s and 1860s. The army fought in colonial engagements in China and [[Italo-Turkish War|Libya]]. It fought in [[Northern Italy]] against the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]] during [[World War I]], Abyssinia before World War II and in World War II in Albania, Balkans, North Africa, the Soviet Union, and Italy itself. During the [[Cold War]], the army prepared itself to defend against a [[Warsaw Pact]] invasion from the east. 

Since the end of the Cold War, the army has seen extensive peacekeeping service and combat in [[Afghanistan]] and [[Iraq]]. Its best-known [[combat vehicle]]s are the [[Dardo IFV|Dardo]] [[infantry fighting vehicle]], the [[Centauro (Tank destroyer)|Centauro]] [[tank destroyer]] and the [[Ariete]] [[tank]] and among its aircraft the [[Agusta A129 Mangusta|Mangusta]] [[attack helicopter]], recently deployed in UN missions. The headquarters of the Army General Staff are located in [[Rome]] opposite the [[Quirinal Palace]], where the [[president of Italy]] resides. The army is an all-volunteer force of [[active duty|active-duty]] personnel.

The Italian Army originated as the [[Royal Italian Army|Royal Army]] (''[[Regio Esercito]]''), which dates from the [[proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy]] following the seizure of the [[Papal States]] and the unification of Italy (''[[Risorgimento]]''). In 1861, under the leadership of [[Giuseppe Garibaldi]], [[Victor Emmanuel II of Italy|Victor Emmanuel II]] of the [[House of Savoy]] was invited to take the throne and of the newly created kingdom.

The Italian Army has participated in operations to aid populations hit by natural disasters. It has, moreover, supplied a remarkable contribution to the forces of police for the control of the territory of the [[South Tyrol|province of Bolzano/Bozen]] (1967), in [[Sardinia]] ("Forza Paris" 1992), in [[Sicily]] ("Vespri Siciliani" 1992) and in [[Calabria]] (1994). Currently, it protects sensitive objectives and places throughout the national territory ("Operazione Domino") since the [[September 11 attacks]] in the United States. 

The army is also engaged in Missions abroad under the aegis of the [[UN]], the [[NATO]], and of Multinational forces, such as [[Beirut]] in [[Lebanon]] (1982), [[Namibia]] (1989), [[Albania]] (1991), [[Kurdistan]] (1991), [[Somalia]] (1992), [[Mozambique]] (1993), [[Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia]] (1995), [[East Timor]] and [[Kosovo]] (both in 1999), the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] (2001), [[Darfur]] (2003), [[Afghanistan]] (2002), [[Iraq]] (2003) and Lebanon again (2006).

===Italian Navy===
{{Main article|Italian Navy}}
[[File:Cavour (550).jpg|thumb|Aircraft carrier [[Italian aircraft carrier Cavour (550)|''MM Cavour'']], the [[flagship]] of the [[Italian Navy]]]]
[[File:Naval Ensign of Italy.svg|thumb|Naval ensign of Italy]]

The [[Italian Navy]] ({{langx|it|Marina Militare||Military Navy}}; abbreviated as '''MM''') is one of the four branches of Italian Armed Forces and was formed in 1946 from what remained of the ''[[Regia Marina]]'' (Royal Navy) after World War II. {{As of|2014|08}}, the Italian Navy had a strength of 30,923 active personnel, with approximately 184 vessels in service, including minor auxiliary vessels. It is considered a multiregional and a [[blue-water navy]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=he5KL_tWQvMC|title=Navies and Shipbuilding Industries: The Strained Symbiosis|first1=Daniel|last1=Todd|first2=Michael|last2=Lindberg|date=May 14, 1996|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=9780275953102|access-date=May 14, 2018|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Till|first1=Geoffrey|title=Seapower: A Guide for the Twenty-First Century|date=2 Aug 2004|publisher=Routledge|location=London|isbn=9781135756789|pages=113–120|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CNgIbiDghI4C&q=Seapower%3A%20A%20Guide%20for%20the%20Twenty-First%20Century%202004|access-date=15 December 2015}}</ref><ref name=Coffey>{{cite book|last1=Coffey|first1=Joseph I.|title=The Atlantic Alliance and the Middle East|date=1989|publisher=University of Pittsburgh Press|location=United States|isbn=9780822911548|page=89|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RmttAAAAMAAJ&q=The+Atlantic+Alliance+and+the+Middle+East|access-date=30 November 2015}}</ref>

The navy of Italy was created in 1861, following the [[proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy]]. The new navy's baptism of fire came during the [[Third Italian War of Independence]] against the [[Austrian Empire]]. During the [[First World War]], it spent its major efforts in the [[Adriatic Sea]], fighting the [[Austro-Hungarian Navy]]. In the [[Second World War]], it engaged the [[Royal Navy]] in a two-and-a-half-year struggle for the control of the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. After the war, the new ''Marina Militare'', being a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), has taken part in many coalition peacekeeping operations. It is a [[blue-water navy]]. The ''[[Guardia Costiera]]'' (Coast Guard) is a component of the navy.

Today's Italian Navy is a modern navy with ships of every type. The fleet is in continuous evolution, and as of today oceangoing fleet units include: 2 light [[aircraft carrier]]s, 4 [[amphibious assault ship]]s, 3 [[destroyer]]s, 11 [[frigate]]s and 8 [[attack submarine]]s. Patrol and littoral warfare units include: 10 [[patrol boat|offshore patrol vessels]], 10 [[mine countermeasure vessel]]s, 4 coastal [[patrol boat]]s, and a varied fleet of [[auxiliary ship]]s are also in service.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marina.difesa.it/EN/thefleet/Pagine/default.aspx |title=The Fleet – Marina Militare|website=marina.difesa.it|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> The flagship of the fleet is the [[Italian aircraft carrier Cavour|carrier ''Cavour'']].

The [[Ensign (flag)|ensign]] of the Italian Navy is the [[flag of Italy]] bearing the coat of arms of the Italian Navy. The shield's quarters refer to the four Medieval Italian [[Maritime Republics]]:

* 1st quarter: on red, a golden winged lion (the [[lion of St. Mark]]) wielding a sword ([[Republic of Venice]])
* 2nd quarter: on white field, red cross, the [[Saint George's Cross]] ([[Republic of Genoa]])
* 3rd quarter: on blue field, white [[Maltese cross]] ([[Republic of Amalfi]])
* 4th quarter: on red field, white [[Pisan cross]] ([[Republic of Pisa]])

The coat of arms is surmounted by a golden crown, which distinguishes military vessels from those of the merchant navy.

===Italian Air Force===
{{Main article|Italian Air Force}}
[[File:Aermacchi M-346 (code MT55219) arrives RIAT Fairford 13July2017.jpg|thumb|An [[Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master]] of the [[Italian Air Force]]]]
[[File:AgustaA129 01.jpg|thumb|Attack helicopter [[Agusta A129 Mangusta]] of the [[Italian Air Force]]]]

The [[Italian Air Force]] ({{langx|it|Aeronautica Militare}}; '''AM''', {{lit|military aeronautics}}) is the [[air force]] of the [[Italy|Italian Republic]]. Since its formation, the service has held a prominent role in modern [[Military history of Italy|Italian military history]]. The acrobatic display team is the {{lang|it|[[Frecce Tricolori]]}}. Italy was among the earliest adopters of military aviation. Its air arm dates back to 1884, when the [[Italian Royal Army]] ({{lang|it|Regio Esercito}}) was authorised to acquire its own air component. The Air Service ({{lang|it|[[Corpo Aeronautico Militare]]}}) operated balloons based near Rome.

In 1911, reconnaissance and bombing sorties during the [[Italo-Turkish War]] by the ''Servizio Aeronautico'' represented the first use of heavier-than-air aircraft in armed conflict. On 28 March 1923, the Italian Air Force was founded as an independent service by [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy|King Vittorio Emanuele III]] of the [[Kingdom of Italy]].

During the 1930s, it was involved in its first military operations in Ethiopia in 1935, and later in the [[Spanish Civil War]] between 1936 and 1939. Eventually, Italy entered [[World War II]] alongside Germany. After the armistice of 8 September 1943, Italy was divided into two sides, and the same fate befell the ''Regia Aeronautica''. The Air Force was split into the ''[[Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force]]'' in the south aligned with the Allies, and the pro-Axis ''[[Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana]]'' in the north until the end of the war. When Italy was made a republic by referendum, the air force was given its current name ''Aeronautica Militare''. The [[cockade of Italy]] is one of the symbols of the Italian Air Force, and is widely used on all Italian state [[aircraft]], not only military.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latinacorriere.it/2017/04/17/san-felice-escursionista-gaeta-ferito-scende-dal-picco-circe/|title=San Felice, escursionista di Gaeta ferito mentre scende dal Picco di Circe|date=17 April 2017 |access-date=21 August 2018|language=it}}</ref>

Armed conflicts in [[Somalia]], [[Mozambique]] and the nearby [[Balkans]] led to the Italian Air Force becoming a participant in multinational air forces, [[NATO bombing of Yugoslavia|such as that of NATO]] over the former [[Yugoslavia]], just a few minutes flying time east of the [[Italian Peninsula]]. The commanders of the Italian Air Force soon saw the need to improve the Italian air defences.

===Carabinieri===
{{Main article|Carabinieri}}
[[File:Vicenza_officials_practice_for_emergencies.jpg|thumb|[[Carabinieri]] officers armed with a [[Beretta M12|Beretta PM-12]] [[submachine gun]]]]
[[File:Italian Carabinieri shows a female Afghan National Police recruit how to aim an AMD-65 at the Central Training Center in Kabul.jpg|thumb|A carabiniere shows a female Afghan National Police recruit how to aim an [[AMD-65]] at the [[Kabul]] Central Training Center in 2010 during the [[Operation Enduring Freedom]] in Afghanistan]]

The [[Carabinieri]] ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|k|ær|ə|b|ɪ|n|ˈ|j|ɛər|i}}, <small>also</small> {{IPAc-en|US|ˌ|k|ɑːr|-}},<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190325133612/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/carabiniere "carabiniere"] (US) and {{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/carabiniere |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322182120/https://www.lexico.com/definition/carabiniere |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-03-22 |title=carabiniere |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|carabiniere|accessdate=25 March 2019}}</ref> {{IPA|it|karabiˈnjɛːri|lang}}; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps")<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Uz8eiwzEMHQC |first1=Ciro |last1=Paoletti |title=A Military History of Italy |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-275-98505-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Stone|first1=Peter G|last2=Bajjaly|first2=Joanne Farchakh|title=The Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Iraq|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RDttNod0xH4C&pg=PA235|year=2008|publisher=Boydell & Brewer Ltd|isbn=978-1-84383-384-0|page=235}}</ref><ref>Richard Heber Wrightson, ''A History of Modern Italy, from the First French Revolution to the Year 1850''. Elibron.com, 2005</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0oAqAAAAMAAJ |title=A new survey of universal knowledge |volume=4 |publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |year=1952}}</ref> are the national [[gendarmerie]] of [[Italy]] who primarily carry out domestic and foreign policing duties. It is one of Italy's main [[law enforcement]] agencies, alongside the [[Polizia di Stato]] and the [[Guardia di Finanza]]. As with the Guardia di Finanza but in contrast to the Polizia di Stato, the Carabinieri are a military force. As the fourth [[Military branch|branch]] of the Italian Armed Forces, they come under the authority of the [[Ministry of Defence (Italy)|Ministry of Defence]]; for activities related to inland public order and security, they functionally depend on the [[Ministry of the Interior (Italy)|Ministry of the Interior]]. In practice, there is a significant overlap between the jurisdiction of the Polizia di Stato and Carabinieri, and both of them are contactable through [[112 (emergency telephone number)|112]], the European Union's Single Emergency number.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Service|url=https://112.gov.it/en/service/|access-date=2021-07-26|website=NUE 112 Numero di emergenza Unico Europeo|language=en-GB}}</ref> Unlike the Polizia di Stato, the Carabinieri have responsibility for [[Military police|policing the military]], and a number of members regularly participate in military missions abroad.

The corps was instituted in 1814 by King [[Victor Emmanuel I of Savoy]] with the aim of providing the [[Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861)|Kingdom of Sardinia]], the forerunner of the [[Kingdom of Italy]], with a police corps. It is therefore older than Italy itself. During the process of [[Italian unification]], the Carabinieri were appointed as the "First Force" of the new national military organization. Although the Carabinieri assisted in the suppression of opposition during the rule of [[Benito Mussolini]], they were also responsible for his downfall and many units were disbanded during [[World War II]] by [[Nazi Germany]], which resulted in large numbers of Carabinieri joining the [[Italian resistance movement]].

In 2000, they were separated from the Army to become a separate branch of the Italian Armed Forces. Carabinieri have policing powers that can be exercised at any time and in any part of the country, and they are always permitted to carry their assigned weapon as personal equipment ([[Beretta 92|Beretta 92FS]] pistols). The Carabinieri are often referred to as "La Benemerita" (The Reputable or The Meritorious) as they are a trusted and prestigious law enforcement institution in Italy. The first official account of the use of this term to refer to the Carabinieri dates back to 24 June 1864.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.carabinieri.it/arma/curiosita/non-tutti-sanno-che/b/benemerita|title=Benemerita|website=www.carabinieri.it}}</ref>

The new force was divided into divisions on the scale of one division for each [[province of Italy]]. The divisions were further divided into companies and subdivided into lieutenancies, which commanded and coordinated the local [[police station]]s and were distributed throughout the national territory in direct contact with the public. They carry out peacekeeping mission abroad, such as [[Kosovo]], [[Afghanistan]], and [[Iraq]]. At the [[Sea Island, Georgia|Sea Islands Conference]] of the [[G8]] in 2004, the Carabinieri were given the mandate to establish a [[Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units]] ([[CoESPU]]) to spearhead the development of training and doctrinal standards for civilian police units attached to international peacekeeping missions.<ref>[http://coespu.carabinieri.it/NR/rdonlyres/4F54A33F-675A-4F65-9A59-069F73B1F71E/2085/G8_Action_Plan_EN.pdf G-8 Action Plan: Expanding global capability for peace support operations] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101009150602/http://coespu.carabinieri.it/NR/rdonlyres/4F54A33F-675A-4F65-9A59-069F73B1F71E/2085/G8_Action_Plan_EN.pdf |date=2010-10-09 }}. [[Carabinieri]], June 2004.</ref>