On July 13, 1814, Italy's Royal Carabinieri Corps, now known as the Arma dei Carabinieri, is formed in the Kingdom of Sardinia. The Carabinieri serve as the gendarmerie of Italy, functioning as military and civilian police in the nation. The men of the Carabinieri Corps have served in numerous conflicts throughout their history with their baptism of fire come only a year after their formation when they engaged French forces at Grenoble on July 6, 1815. The force would also see service during the Wars of Italian Independence as well as the Crimean War and World War One. The Carabinieri also served on both sides of World War II. The Carabinieri were involved in the Italian actions in East Africa and the Balkans. However, it was the Carabinieri who arrested Benito Mussolini on July 25, 1943, under orders of King Victor Emmanuel III. Members of the Carabinieri had also been active in the Italian resistance movement with more joining following the persecution of the force in the Italian Social Republic. In more recent years Carabinieri have been deployed on numerous peacekeeping missions across the globe, including Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

As part of their policing role, the duties of the Carabinieri include counter-terror operations, protection of Italy's natural resources, protection of Italy's artistic heritage, security of Italian embassies, and the performance of investigative services among others. The Arma dei Carabinieri currently numbers approximately 110,400 personnel.