Editing Italian Armed Forces (section)

===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>