The Italian Army is the 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, Libya, 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 vehicles are the Dardo infantry fighting vehicle, the Centauro tank destroyer and the Ariete tank and among its aircraft the 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 personnel.
The article provides an overview of the entire chain of command and organization of the Italian Army after the reform of 1 May 2024 and includes all active units as of 1 May 2024. 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 Army is commanded by the Chief of the Army General Staff or "Capo di Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito" in Rome.
On March 1, 1984 the Italian Institute for Disarmament, Development and Peace (Istituto di ricerche per il disarmo, lo sviluppo e la pace in Rome published the entire Italian Army order of battle down to company level – this was justified by the radical party as one of its core demands was total disarmament of Europe, even though the data which was published was top secret. The Radical Party dissolved in 1989 and the IRDISP followed suit in 1990. But Radio Radicale has survived, and the OrBat can still be found today on the homepage of the radio.
The Cavalry Brigade "Pozzuolo del Friuli" is a brigade of the Italian Army, based in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Veneto regions. The Brigade consists of a command unit, a cavalry regiment, an amphibious infantry regiment, an artillery regiment, an engineer regiment and a logistic regiment.
The Airmobile Brigade "Friuli" is an airmobile brigade of the Italian Army, based mainly in the Emilia-Romagna region. The brigade was part of the 1st Defence Forces Command until it was transferred to the Division "Friuli". The brigade's coat of arms depicts a stylized version of the Rocca di Monfalcone castle near the city of Monfalcone in the Friuli region, where the brigade distinguished itself during World War I. Since 1 July 2019 the brigade is part of the Division "Vittorio Veneto".
The 20th Infantry Division "Friuli" was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Friuli was formed on 24 August 1939 by splitting the 20th Infantry Division "Curtatone e Montanara" into the Friuli and the 44th Infantry Division "Cremona". The Friuli was named for the region of Friuli, but based in Tuscany, where it also recruited most of its troops. The division's headquarter and its regiments, with the exception of the 87th Infantry Regiment located in Siena, were based in Livorno. The division served as occupation force on Corsica and fought German units after the Armistice of Cassibile was announced on 8 September 1943. The division then served with the Italian Co-belligerent Army and remained active into the early stages of the Cold War.
The Armored Brigade "Vittorio Veneto" was an armored brigade of the Italian Army. Its core units were armored and mechanized cavalry squadrons groups. The brigade's headquarters was in the city of Villa Opicina, with most of its units based in the Province of Trieste. The brigade's name was chosen to remember the decisive Italian World War I victory at the Battle of Vittorio Veneto.
The V Army Corps was one of three corps the Italian Army fielded during the Cold War. Based in the regions of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia-Giulia the corps was the army's main combat force. The 5th Army Corps was arrayed close to the Yugoslavian border and tasked with meeting any Warsaw Pact forces that crossed the border. On the left flank of the corps the 4th Alpine Army Corps was tasked with blocking the Alpine passes and in the rear of the corps the 3rd Army Corps served as operational reserve. After the end of the Cold War the corps was reduced in size and on 1 October 1997 it became the 1st Defence Forces Command. In 2013 the COMFOD 1° was disbanded and its function and brigades taken over by the 20th Infantry Division Friuli in Florence.
The Mechanized Brigade "Mantova" was a mechanized brigade of the Italian Army. Its core units were mechanized infantry battalions. The brigade's headquarters was in the city of Cividale del Friuli and all the brigade's units were based in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. In 2003, the "Mantova" was raised again as a division command.
The Regiment "Piemonte Cavalleria" (2nd) is a cavalry unit of the Italian Army based in Villa Opicina in Friuli-Venezia Giulia.The regiment is the reconnaissance unit of the Alpine Brigade "Julia".
The Regiment "Lancieri di Novara" (5th) is a cavalry unit of the Italian Army based in Codroipo in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The regiment is the reconnaissance unit of the 132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete".
The Regiment "Lancieri di Milano" (7th) is an inactive cavalry unit of the Italian Army. The regiment was formed after the Second Italian War of Independence and participated in the Third Italian War of Independence. In World War I the regiment fought dismounted on the Italian front. After the war the regiment was disbanded. Shortly before World War II the regiment was reformed. The regiment participated in the Italian invasion of Greece and remained afterwards on anti-partisan duty in Albania, Croatia and occupied Greece. The regiment dissolved in Larissa in Greece after the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile. During the Cold War the unit served as the reconnaissance group of the Infantry Division "Legnano" and after 1975 of the Mechanized Division "Mantova". In 1986 the group became the reconnaissance group of the Armored Brigade "Pozzuolo del Friuli". At the end of the Cold War the unit was disbanded in 1989.
The Regiment "Lancieri di Firenze" (9th) is an inactive cavalry unit of the Tuscan Army, French Army, Sardinian Army, and Italian Army. Formed in Tuscany in 1753 the regiment served in the Napoleonic Wars, during which its troops reached Madrid and Moscow. In 1848—49 the regiment fought in the First Italian War of Independence. During the Second Italian War of Independence the regiment switched allegiance from the Grand Duchy of Tuscany to the Kingdom of Sardinia and thus became the only regiment from a pre-unification state to be integrated into the Royal Sardinian Army. The regiment participated in the Third Italian War of Independence and during World War I it fought dismounted in the trenches of the Italian front. In World War II the regiment was assigned to the 2nd Cavalry Division "Emanuele Filiberto Testa di Ferro" and served in annexed Albania, occupied Greece, and occupied Yugoslavia on anti-partisan duty. The regiment was disbanded after the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile by invading German forces. During the Cold War the unit was assigned to the Armored Brigade "Vittorio Veneto" as a tank unit. After the Cold War the regiment was disbanded in 1995.
The Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Treviso" (28th) is an active cavalry unit of the Italian Army. The regiment was formed by the Royal Italian Army in 1909 and active during World War I on the Italian Front. Even though the regiment had earned a Silver Medal of Military Valor in the Battle of Monfalcone in 1916 it was disbanded after the war. The regiment was active again during the Cold War between 1975 and 1991. The unit's name, flag and traditions were assigned on 1 October 2022 to the Command and Tactical Supports Unit "Pozzuolo del Friuli" of the Cavalry Brigade "Pozzuolo del Friuli".
The Logistic Regiment "Pozzuolo del Friuli" is a military logistics regiment of the Italian Army based in Remanzacco in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The battalion was formed in 1976 as Logistic Battalion "Mantova" and assigned to the Mechanized Division "Mantova". After the division was disbanded in 1986 the battalion was reorganized as a corps logistic battalion, renamed 8th Maneuver Logistic Battalion "Carso" and assigned to the 5th Army Corps. In 1994, the battalion was reorganized as 8th Maneuver Logistic Regiment "Carso". Today the regiment is the logistic unit of the Cavalry Brigade "Pozzuolo del Friuli". The regiment's anniversary falls, as for all units of the Italian Army's Transport and Materiel Corps, on 22 May, the anniversary of the Royal Italian Army's first major use of automobiles to transport reinforcements to the Asiago plateau to counter the Austro-Hungarian Asiago Offensive in May 1916.
The 8th Field Artillery Regiment "Pasubio" is a field artillery regiment of the Italian Army. Today the regiment is based in Persano in Campania and assigned to the Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi". The regiment was formed in 1860 by the Royal Sardinian Army and participated the same year in the Sardinian campaign in Central and Southern Italy. In 1861 the regiment joined the Royal Italian Army and in 1866 it fought in the Third Italian War of Independence. During World War I the regiment served on the Italian front. In 1935 the regiment was assigned to the 9th Infantry Division "Pasubio", which in July 1941 was assigned to the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia, which was deployed to the Eastern Front of World War II. In 1942 the division and regiment were destroyed during the Soviet Operation Little Saturn and the survivors of the division were dispersed by invading German forces after the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943.
The 78th Infantry Regiment "Lupi di Toscana" is an active unit of the Italian Army based in Florence in Tuscany. The regiment is named for the region of Tuscany and part of the Italian Army's infantry arm. On 1 October 2022 the name, flag and traditions of the regiment were assigned to the Command and Tactical Supports Unit "Vittorio Veneto" of the Division "Vittorio Veneto".
The 87th Infantry Regiment "Friuli" is an active unit of the Italian Army based in Bologna in the Emilia-Romagna. The regiment is named for the region of Friuli and part of the Italian Army's infantry arm. On 1 October 2022 the name, flag and traditions of the regiment were assigned to the Command and Tactical Supports Unit "Friuli" of the Airmobile Brigade "Friuli".
The Logistic Battalion "Vittorio Veneto" is an inactive military logistics battalion of the Italian Army, which was assigned to the Mechanized Brigade "Vittorio Veneto". The battalion's anniversary falls, as for all units of the Italian Army's Transport and Materiel Corps, on 22 May, the anniversary of the Royal Italian Army's first major use of automobiles to transport reinforcements to the Asiago plateau to counter the Austro-Hungarian Asiago Offensive in May 1916.
The Logistic Battalion "Pozzuolo del Friuli" is an inactive military logistics battalion of the Italian Army, which was assigned to the Cavalry Brigade "Pozzuolo del Friuli". The battalion's anniversary falls, as for all units of the Italian Army's Transport and Materiel Corps, on 22 May, the anniversary of the Royal Italian Army's first major use of automobiles to transport reinforcements to the Asiago plateau to counter the Austro-Hungarian Asiago Offensive in May 1916.
