Italian Armed Forces: Army (Esercito Italiano, EI), Navy (Marina Militare Italiana, MMI; includes aviation, marines), Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana, AMI); Carabinieri Corps (Arma dei Carabinieri, CC) (2021)
note(s): the Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie; for its civil police functions, the Carabinieri falls under the control of the Ministry of the Interior; the Financial Guard (Guardia di Finanza) under the Ministry of Economy and Finance is a force with military status and nationwide remit for financial crime investigations, including narcotics trafficking, smuggling, and illegal immigration
Slovenian Armed Forces (Slovenska Vojska, SV): structured as a combined force with air, land, maritime, special operations, combat support, and combat service support elements (2021)
Military service age and obligation
18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; women may serve in any military branch; Italian citizenship required; 1-year service obligation; conscription abolished 2004 (2019)
18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2003 (2019)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
1.39% of GDP (2020 est.)
1.18% of GDP (2019)
1.23% of GDP (2018)
1.2% of GDP (2017)
1.18% of GDP (2016)
1.1% of GDP (2020 est.)
1.06% of GDP (2019)
1.01% of GDP (2018)
0.98% of GDP (2017)
1% of GDP (2016)
Military - note
Italy is a member of NATO and was one of the original 12 countries to sign the North Atlantic Treaty (also known as the Washington Treaty) in 1949
Slovenia officially became a member of NATO in 2004
Military and security service personnel strengths
the Italian Armed Forces have approximately 170,000 active personnel (100,000 Army; 30,000 Navy; 40,000 Air Force); approximately 107,000 Carabinieri (2020)
the Slovenian Armed Forces have approximately 7,000 active duty troops (2020)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the Italian Armed Forces' inventory includes a mix of domestically-produced, jointly-produced, and imported European and US weapons systems; the US is the leading supplier of weapons to Italy since 2010, followed by Germany; the Italian defense industry is capable of producing equipment across all the military domains with particular strengths in naval vessels and aircraft; it also participates in joint development and production of advanced weapons systems with other European countries and the US (2020)
the inventory of the Slovenian Armed Forces is a mix of Soviet-era and limited quantities of more modern Western equipment; since 2010, it has received limited supplies of military equipment from Finland, France, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the US (2020)
