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The Italian Special Forces include special forces units from several branches of the Italian Armed Forces: the ''
Esercito Italiano "The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law" , colors = , colors_labels = , march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...
'' (
Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
), the '' Marina Militare'' (
Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...
), the '' Aeronautica Militare'' (
Air force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...
) and the ''Arma dei
Carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign polic ...
'' ( Gendarmerie). Italian Armed Forces special units are divided into Special Forces (TIER 1) and Special Operations Forces (TIER 2), and the ''Comando operativo interforze delle forze speciali'' (Joint Special Forces Operations Headquarters) is responsible for the operations carried out in response to Defense requirements.


Italian Army special units


Tier 1

*
9th Paratroopers Assault Regiment "Col Moschin" ) is a Special Forces unit of the Italian Army. Training takes two years for long-term members of the army. The regiment has been involved in numerous military and anti-terrorist operations and is the only one to have participated in all out-of-area ...
, is a SAS-like force trained for special operations in various environments. They carry the legacy of the ''
Arditi Arditi (from the Italian verb ''ardire'', lit. "to dare", and translates as "The Daring nes) was the name adopted by a Royal Italian Army elite special force of World War I. They and the opposing German '' Stormtroopers'' were the first modern ...
'' units of the Italian Army, which operated on the Italian-Austrian Front during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.


Tier 2

*
4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment The 4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment ( it, 4° Reggimento Alpini Paracadutisti) is a United States Army Rangers, Ranger-type special forces regiment of the Italian Army, specializing in Mountain warfare, mountain combat. The regiment is one of thr ...
, is a
Ranger A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...
type
infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...
alpini regiment, specializing in mountain combat, and a special force trained for special operations in all kinds of environments, with special skills in skiing and climbing and resistance to cold, stress and fatigue. The 4th is best suited for high-altitude operations. Its operational battalion carries the legacy of the '' Alpine Skiers Battalion "Monte Cervino"'', an elite battalion of the Alpini Corps, that distinguished itself during World War I and World War II. *
185th Paratroopers Reconnaissance Target Acquisition Regiment "Folgore" The 185th Paratroopers Reconnaissance Target Acquisition Regiment "Folgore" ( it, 185° Reggimento Paracadutisti Ricognizione Acquisizione Obiettivi "Folgore", abbreviated as: 185° RAO) is an Italian Army special forces unit. The regiment is pa ...
, is a
long range reconnaissance A long-range reconnaissance patrol, or LRRP (pronounced "lurp"), is a small, well-armed reconnaissance team that patrols deep in enemy-held territory.Ankony, Robert C., ''Lurps: A Ranger's Diary of Tet, Khe Sanh, A Shau, and Quang Tri,'' revised ...
paratroopers regiment. *
3rd Special Operations Helicopter Regiment "Aldebaran" The 3rd Special Operations Helicopter Regiment "Aldebaran" ( it, 3° Reggimento Elicotteri per Operazioni Speciali "Aldebaran") is an Italian Army regiment based at Viterbo Airport in Lazio. The regiment is part of the army aviation and assigned ...
-
Special operations Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...
aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot a ...
regiment * 11th Signal Regiment - Military communications regiment * 28th Regiment "Pavia" -
Psychological operations Psychological warfare (PSYWAR), or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations (PsyOp), have been known by many other names or terms, including Military Information Support Operations (MISO), Psy Ops, political warfare, "Hearts and M ...
regiment


Italian Navy special units


Special Forces

The Italian Navy special forces unit is the Divers and Raiders Grouping "Teseo Tesei" (''
Comando Raggruppamento Subacquei e Incursori Teseo Tesei COMSUBIN (''Comando Raggruppamento Subacquei e Incursori "Teseo Tesei"''; Divers and Raiders Group Command "Teseo Tesei") is the Italian Navy's special operations unit. Italy was the first nation to use frogmen and human torpedoes. The Royal It ...
'' - COMSUBIN). Specifically the 250-350 men of the Operational Raiders Group are the special forces section of the elite unit. *GOI (''Gruppo Operativo Incursori'') - is the branch with raiders; they are trained for naval/land operation are also trained for special operations in all kinds of environments like British SBS, forward air controller, counter terrorism ...(but are also used on the mountains of Afghanistan in operation ISAF), are also equipped with special weapons over/under water vehicles for silent insertions. *GOS (''Gruppo Operativo Subacquei'') - is the diver's branch for rescue tasks and damage inspection / repair of vessels and/or submarines. They're even specialized as underwater E.O.D. COMSUBIN's origins lie with the famous Italian special units " X MAS" (Italian acronym for ''Anti Submarine Motorboats''). The name referred to an early vehicle employed by the units, an explosive-laden crewless motorboat ("barchino") which was aimed and launched against enemy submersibles (keep in mind that until well after World War II subs were essentially surface ships with the capability of temporarily diving underwater for attacks). After World War I much study and development went into underwater raid techniques but the unit's name was never altered, leading to the false impression that Italian seafaring commandos were still relegated to anti-submarine warfare only. Instead many flotillas were armed and equipped to direct raids on enemy ships using explosive head-charges in guided torpedoes with 2-man crews (''Siluri a Lenta Corsa'' or S.L.C.), with hand explosive charges (by frogmen) or with small, fast, self-explosive boats (S.M.A.).


Special Operations Forces

*Sometimes called upon to intervene for special operations the Special Company of the 1° San Marco Marine Regiment. Also the raiders approached the target by means of submarines with special tanks installed on the external bridge containing the special vehicles (S.L.C.). * Reparto Eliassalto REA (Heliborne Assault Unit) - special helicopters unit trained to support, supply, infiltrate/exfiltrate SF amphibious units in enemy territory.


Italian Air Force special units


Special Forces

*
17º Stormo Incursori The 17th Raiders Wing ( it, 17º Stormo Incursori) 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 ...
the raiders corp of Italian Air Force. Its primary missions: raids on aeronautical compounds, forward air control, combat controlling, and combat search and rescue. Its origins are in the ''A.D.R.A Arditi Distruttori Regia Aeronautica'' (Royal Air Force Brave Destroyers), a corp of World War II. They were used in not-well-known missions against bridges and allied airfields in North Africa after the fall of Tunisia.Arditi attack on Benghazi in June 1943
/ref> The only well-known mission reported the destruction with explosive charges of 25 B-24s & other airplanes and the killing of some bomber crew members.


Special Operations Forces

* 9º Stormo Francesco Baracca - a special helicopters unit trained to support, supply, infiltrate/exfiltrate SF and SOF units in enemy territory.


Carabinieri Corps special units


Special Forces

The
Carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign polic ...
is a corp of Gendarmerie with both (civil and military) law-and-order police duties, military police, and military peacekeeping and war-fighting capabilities. *The Carabinieri has its own special forces in the form of the Gruppo di Intervento Speciale or the Special Intervention Group. The GIS features some one hundred or so troops specially trained in counter-terrorism operations with a special emphasis on marksmanship.


Special Operation Forces

The special unit SOF is the "1st Company" of the 1st Carabinieri Airborne Regiment Tuscania. It is a regiment of paratroopers for military police and anti-terrorism. The usual roles: *military, common with all other airborne/special operation forces troops; *law-enforcement, supporting the Carabinieri law-enforcement units in dangerous areas (homeland security e.g. mafia-controlled zones, violent criminal confrontations and any operation in which, translating from the official Carabinieri website, "extremely violent firearm clashes are foreseen") and VIP escort and security service.


See also

* Joint Operational Command of the Special Forces (Italy)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Italian Special Forces