The Engineer Command (Italian: Comando Genio) 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.[2]
The Engineer Command was established in 2010 and underwent a series of reorganizations, shifting from a Brigade-level command to a Division-level element. Nowadays, it keeps the traditions and the honours of the Arm of Engineers, and its commander is the Inspector of the Arm of the Engineers.
History
The Engineer Command of the Italian Army was established on 10 September 2010, but it traces its origins back to the Engineer Brigade (based in Udine) and the Engineer School in Rome.[3]
Engineer School
Engineers School (1950-2010) shoulder patch.
The Pioneers Engineer School was established on 10 March 1950 in Rome. However, the School was heir to two further training institutes: the Central Engineer School and the Reserve Officers School of Engineers.
The Engineers Central School was established in Manziana as a result of the decree of 18 January 1920 (moved to Civitavecchia in 1925). The School had the task of training the non-commissioned officers and training the troops in the various specialties of the Engineers: sappers, miners, cable operators, photoelectricists, telegraphers and radiotelegraphers. The School also held refresher courses for senior officers and captains about to be promoted as well as training courses for reserve officers called back in service.[4]
The School of Engineer Reserve officer cadets of was created by decree of 1 May 1930 in Verona (moved to Pavia in 1936).[4]
The Italian Civil War forced both two schools to suspend their activities. In 1944 three training bodies were established:[4]
Italian School of Radio-Telegraph Connections in Nocera Inferiore;
In 1948 the School reopened the courses for Reserve officer cadets. In January 1949, a Specialized Battalion and the Reserve officer cadets Company were transferred to Rome Cecchignola in the “Ettore ROSSO” barracks, giving life to the training nucleus of the Pioneers Engineer School established there on 10 March 1950.[4]
In March 1954 a Training Battalion based in Civitavecchia was assigned to the School. The Battalion was tasked with training conscripts. The School also had the task of training the first nuclei of the Italian special forces for the pioneering part. In November 1955, the Battalion stationed in Civitavecchia was transferred to Rome to the "Bazzani" Barracks, also to the Cecchignola, and subsequently in November 1961 to the "E. Rosso ”where it assumed the name of III Specialized Battalion.[4]
Engineers Brigade
Engineers Grouping Command shoulder patch.
The Engineers Brigade was formed, as Engineers Grouping Command, on 1 December 1997, by transforming the pre-existing Engineers Command of the 5th Army Corps. Assigned to the Operational Land Forces Support Command, the Engineers Grouping Command controlled:[3]
In the nineties it took over the Railway Engineers Regiment. At the end of the decade the Brigade lost the 11th and 21st Pioneer Engineers Regiments and the 5th Battalion.
The Engineer Brigade provided disaster relief and reconstruction support in natural and man-made emergencies in Italy.[5]
Engineer Command
The Engineer Command of the Italian Army was established on 10 September 2010 as one star-rank command under the Support Command of the Land Operational Forces (SUPPORTI FOTER).[3] On 1 February 2011, the Obstacle Training Center was renamed to the C-IED National Center of Excellence.
On 1 January 2013, the Support Command of the Land Operational Forces was suppressed. Consequently, the Engineers Command passed directly under the Land Operational Forces Command.[6] On 1 October 2016, the Engineers Command passed under the command of the newly-established Operational Land Forces Support Command, with a simultaneous reduction in rank from division to brigade.
On 1 July 2020, the Engineer Command was reorganized. The Command was raised again to Divisional Command,[2] with two new Brigade-level units:
Engineer Brigade, with training and operational tasks;[7]
Infrastructure Command, for the execution of public works related to the Army.[8]
Prepare the necessary assets to support the maneuvering forces in operations;
Ensuring the execution of emergency interventions in favor of populations affected by events of public disasters.
Carry out specialty training activities and in the EOD and/or IEDD and Force Protection sectors.
Provide for the development of the employment and technical doctrine, as well as for the development of studies.
Ensure the efficiency of the infrastructural park used by the Italian Army.
Provide the address for the qualification, specialization, updating, professionalization and employment of the personnel of the Arm of Engineer and the Corps of Engineers (infrastructure specialty).
Structure
2nd Bridge Engineer Regiment ferrying a Regiment "Savoia Cavalleria" (3rd) Centauro tank destroyer across the Po
With the 2020 reorganization, the Engineer Command oversees two one-star rank commands, the Engineer Brigade and the Infrastructure Command.[2][9]
1 2 3 4 5 "Il Comando Genio". www.anget.it (in Italian). ANGET Associazione Nazionale Genieri e Trasmettitori d'Italia. 6 October 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
The Italian Army is the land-based component 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 Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore" is an airborne brigade of the Italian Army. Its core units are three battalions of paratroopers (paracadutisti). The name "Folgore" is Italian for lightning. The Folgore is one of three light infantry brigades of the Italian Army. While the Folgore specializes in parachute operations its sister brigade in the Division "Vittorio Veneto" the Airmobile Brigade Friuli specializes in helicopter assault operations. The Folgore and its units are based in Tuscany, Veneto and Lazio.
The 32nd Engineer Regiment is a military engineer regiment of the Italian Army based in Fossano in Piedmont. Raised on 24 September 2004 it is the youngest engineer regiment of the Italian Army and specializes in mountain combat. Its name was chosen to commemorate the XXXII Sapper Battalion, which fought in the Western Desert Campaign of World War II, while the regiment's only battalion, the XXX Sappers Battalion, fought in the Italian campaign on the Eastern Front. Since its reformation on 1 September 2002 as 32nd Engineer Battalion the unit has been part of the Alpine Brigade "Taurinense". Together with the other units of the Taurinense the regiment shares the right to wear the distinctive Cappello Alpino.
The article provides an overview of the entire chain of command and organization of the Italian Army after the reform of 1 October 2016 and includes all active units as of 1 July 2019. 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 Mechanized Brigade "Granatieri di Sardegna" is a mechanized infantry brigade of the Italian Army, based in Rome and central Italy. The brigade fields one of the oldest regiments of the Army and is one of the guard regiments of the President of Italy. The name of the unit dates back to the Kingdom of Sardinia and not the eponymous Mediterranean island of Sardinia. The brigade is part of the Division "Acqui".
The 52nd Infantry Division "Torino" was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Torino was named after the city of Turin and classified as an auto-transportable division, meaning staff and equipment could be transported on cars and trucks, although not simultaneously. The division was formed by expanding the Torino Brigade in June 1940 and was based with two of its regiments in Civitavecchia, while the 81st Infantry Regiment "Torino" was based in Rome. The division took part in the Invasion of Yugoslavia and was then sent to the Eastern front as part of the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia.
The 205th Coastal Division was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. Royal Italian Army coastal divisions were second line divisions formed with reservists and equipped with second rate materiel. Recruited locally, they were often commanded by officers called out of retirement.
The 220th Coastal Division was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. Royal Italian Army coastal divisions were second line divisions formed with reservists and equipped with second rate materiel. They were often commanded by officers called out of retirement.
After World War II the Italian Army had two units named "Centauro": from 1952 to 1986 the Armored Division "Centauro" and from 1986 to 2002 the Armored Brigade "Centauro". Both units were successor to the World War II era 131st Armored Division "Centauro". The units' name came from the mythological race of half human-half horse creatures named Centaurs.
The 132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete" is currently the only active armored brigade of the Italian Army. Its core units are tank and Bersaglieri regiments. The brigade's headquarters is in the city of Pordenone and most of its units are based in the North-East of Italy. The brigade's name comes from the battering ram. The brigade draws much of its historical traditions from the 132nd Armored Division "Ariete", which fought in the Western Desert Campaign of World War II. In 1948 the Ariete was reconstituted as division and remained active until 1986. Today the brigade is part of the Division "Vittorio Veneto".
Operational Land Forces Command - Army Operational Command is the Italian Army's major command tasked with the operational and administrative control of most of its combat forces. COMFOTER - COE reports directly to the Chief of Staff of the Italian Army. The command is based in Rome.
With the 1975 reforms the Italian Army abolished the regimental level and replaced it with brigades made up of multiple arms. During the reform the army disbanded 48 regimental commands and reduced its force by 87 battalions. A further ten regimental commands were used to raise ten new brigade commands. Ten training centers, which for traditional reasons had carried the names of regiments, were also disbanded. The reduction in units also allowed to mechanize most of the remaining units in Northern Italy and Italy's defense strategy changed from a hold-at-all-costs territorial defense to one of mobile warfare.
The Tactical Intelligence Brigade is the Italian Army's Intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) & Electronic Warfare (EW) unit. Founded 1 June 2004 as RISTA-EW Brigade the unit changed its name on 5 November 2018 to better reflect its mission: to collect military information on the tactical level, useful to the needs of the operational level.
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 3rd Engineer Sappers Regiment is a military engineer regiment of the Italian Army based in Udine in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Today the regiment is the engineer unit of the Cavalry Brigade "Pozzuolo del Friuli".
The 6th Pioneer Regiment is a military engineer regiment of the Italian Army based in the Cecchignola quarter of Rome. Today the regiment is administratively assigned to the army's Engineer Command and the army's sole pioneer unit, whose focus, unlike the army's other engineer units, is on rear area construction tasks.
The Artillery Command is an Italian Army command, which trains the personnel destined for the army's artillery units, develops the army's artillery doctrine, and supervises the Italian army's artillery units.
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.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Italy 
Italian Army 
