16 Facts About Italian Army

Italian Army is the land-based component of the Italian Armed Forces.

Italian Army originated as the Royal Army, which dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy following the seizure of the Papal States and the unification of Italy .

In particular, the frequency of the offensives in which Italian Army soldiers participated between May 1915 and August 1917, one every three months, was higher than demanded by the armies on the Western Front.

Italian Army discipline was harsher, with punishments for infractions of duty of a severity not known in the German, French, and British armies.

On paper, the Royal Italian Army was one of the largest ground forces in World War II.

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The Italian soldiers fighting in this army no longer fought for Benito Mussolini as their allegiance was to King Victor Emmanuel and to Marshal of Italy Pietro Badoglio, the men who ousted Mussolini.

In 1991, the Italian Army began the post-Cold War draw-down of its forces with the disbandment of seven brigades and a large number of smaller units.

Between 1997 and 2002 the Italian Army continued to tweak the new structure and with the abolition of obligatory military service a further two brigades were disbanded in 2002.

Italian Army has participated in operations to aid populations hit by natural disasters.

Carabinieri, once the senior corps of the Italian Army, is an autonomous armed force .

Italian Army uses uniforms that can be divided into four different "families", and hold strict rules that apply to the type of textile, color and badge of the uniforms.

Since the 1980s, Italian Army troops have participated with other Western countries in peacekeeping operations across the world, especially in Africa, Balkan Peninsula, and the Middle East.

Italian Army has not engaged in major combat operations since World War II.

Italian Army forces have contributed to ISAF, the NATO force in Afghanistan, and a Provincial reconstruction team, and 53 Italian Army soldiers have died under ISAF.

Subsequently, Italian Army troops arrived in the late summer of 2003 and began patrolling Nasiriyah and the surrounding area.

Recent law promoted recruitment in the Italian Army, giving volunteers a chance to find post-service careers in the Carabinieri, Italian State Police, Italian Finance Police, State Forestry Department, Fire Department and other state bodies.