The Italian Armed Forces encompass the Italian Army, the Italian Navy and the Italian Air Force. A fourth branch of the armed forces, known as the Carabinieri, take on the role as the nation's military police and are also involved in missions and operations abroad as a combat force. Despite not being a branch of the armed forces, the Guardia di Finanza is organized along military lines. These five forces comprise a total of 340,885 men and women with the official status of active military personnel, of which 167,057 are in the Army, Navy and Air Force. The President of the Italian Republic heads the armed forces as the President of the High Council of Defence established by article 87 of the Constitution of Italy. According to article 78, the Parliament has the authority to declare a state of war and vest the powers to lead the war in the Government.
The 17th Raiders Wing is the Italian Air Force special forces unit. It is the youngest special force created in Italy. It is based in Furbara, near Rome and part of the Comando interforze per le Operazioni delle Forze Speciali. Until 8 April 2008 the unit was named Reparto Incursori Aeronautica Militare but with the expansion and evolution of the unit's assignments and its size, the name was changed to "17° Stormo Incursori".
The 3rd Special Operations Helicopter Regiment "Aldebaran" is an Italian Army regiment based at Viterbo Airport in Lazio. The regiment is part of the army aviation and assigned to the Airmobile Brigade "Friuli". The regiment supports unit the special forces and ranger regiments of the Army Special Forces Command.
The Chief of the Defence Staff of Italy is the service head of the Italian Armed Forces.
Operational Land Forces Command is the Italian Army's major command tasked with the operational and administrative control of most of its combat forces. COMFOTER reports directly to the Chief of Staff of the Italian Army. The command is based in Rome.
The Italian Naval Aviation is the naval air component of the Italian Navy composed of around 2000 men and women and 69 aircraft and helicopters.
The Network Operations Command is an Italian cyberwarfare Joint military unit. Until its merger with the Comando C4 Difesa in 2020, it was called Joint Cybernetic Operations Command
The article provides an overview of the entire chain of command and organization of the Italian Air Force as of 1 January 2018 and includes all currently active units. 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 Air Force is commanded by the Chief of the Air Force General Staff or "Capo di Stato Maggiore dell’Aeronautica Militare" in Rome.
The Army Aviation Brigade was the Italian Army's aviation brigade. Four of the army's six aviation regiments were part of the brigade, while two aviation regiments were part of the Airmobile Brigade "Friuli". On 1 October 2023 the brigade was merged into the Airmobile Brigade "Friuli".
The Army Special Forces Command in Pisa is a brigade-level command of the Italian Army, which is responsible for the training, preparation, doctrinal and procedural development, and the materiel acquisition of the army's special forces and special operation forces. Operationally the units of the Army Special Forces Command fall under the Joint Special Forces Operations Command. The command was activated on 19 September 2014 in Pisa.
The Engineer Command in Rome-Cecchignola commands the specialized engineer regiments of the Italian Army and it is tasked with training of all officers and troops destined for engineer units, as well as with both doctrinal and operational tasks.
The following is the structure of the Italian Navy as of June 2020. It is considered a multiregional and a blue-water navy.
The Signal Command is a signals formation of the Italian Army. The Signal Command was established in Rome on 1 January 2017 following the disestablishment of the Army Information and Signals Command and of the Signals Brigade.
The Operational Land Forces Support Command is a major subdivision of the Italian Army tasked with providing support resources to the Operational Land Forces Command.
Massimo Panizzi is an Italian Army Lieutenant general who currently serves as the Commander of the Italian Army Territorial Command in Rome and Commander of the Military Geographic Institute in Florence. He previously served as the Italian Deputy Military Representative to the NATO Military Committee and Chief of the NATO Office of the Italian Military Delegation at NATO HQ, Brussels. He participated in numerous international military operations and he has served as the Deputy Chief of staff Support for the NATO Resolute Support Mission in Kabul. He assumed the assignment of Deputy Commander of the Military Command of the Capital in Rome on September 19, 2022. Since August 2023 he assumed the command of the Capital (Territorial) Command within the Italian Army Operational Forces HQ (Rome) and of the Military Geographic Institute (Florence).
The Italian Space Operations Command is the joint space command of the Italian Armed Forces. It was established in 2020.
The Joint Operations Headquarters is the Italian joint operational command directly reporting to the Chief of the Defence Staff. This command exercises the planning, coordination and direction of the military operations of the Italian armed forces, and on joint and multinational exercises and all activities connected to them. Through the COVI, the Chief of the Defence Staff is able to exercise his functions as Operational Commander of the Armed Forces.
The Joint Special Forces Operations Headquarters is the joint command of the Italian Armed Forces charged with overseeing the various special operations units of the Italian Armed Forces. The command is part of the Joint Operations Command and is validated as NATO Component Command. COFS is headquartered at Centocelle Airport in Rome, Italy.
The 9th Cybernetic Security Regiment "Rombo" is a cyber warfare unit of the Italian Army based in Cecchignola in Rome. The regiment is assigned to the Tactical Intelligence Brigade and tasked with performing cyber operations related to the defence of the army's IT networks and Command-and-Control systems, the protection of critical infrastructures and platforms and weapon systems.
