Tactical Intelligence Brigade (Italy)

The Tactical Intelligence Brigade is the Italian Army's Intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) & Electronic Warfare (EW) unit.[1] 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.[1]

Tactical Intelligence Brigade
Brigata Informazioni Tattiche
Coat of Arms of the Tactical Intelligence Brigade
Active1 June 2004 - present
CountryItaly
AllegianceItalian Army
BranchArmy
TypeBrigade
RoleISTAR & Electronic Warfare
Part ofCOMFOTER SUPPORT
Garrison/HQAnzio
41st Regiment "Cordenons" operator launching a RQ-11B Raven in the Dolomites with a Squire radar in the background

History

The brigade's origins lie with the Electronic Defense Center (Centro Difesa Elettronica - CDE) raised in 1963 in Anzio. Initially the center consisted of the IX Signal Battalion and XI Signal Battalion, to which a Signals Intelligence Unit was added in the 1960s. With the 1975 army reform the center's Signals Intelligence Unit became the 8th Signals Intelligence Battalion "Tonale"[2] and IX Signal Battalion became the 9th Electronic Warfare Battalion "Rombo".[3][4][1]

With the end of the Cold War the army reduced its forces in the Northeast of Italy and so on 1 January 1996 the center received the 33rd Electronic Warfare Battalion "Falzarego" in Treviso from the 5th Army Corps. On 20 January 1998 the center disbanded the 9th Electronic Warfare Battalion "Rombo", while the 33rd Electronic Warfare Battalion "Falzarego" was reorganized and elevated to 33rd Electronic Warfare Regiment on 28 October 2002.[5]

On 19 May 1998 the center was reorganized and renamed RISTA-EW Grouping and on 27 August 2001 the 8th Signals Intelligence Battalion "Tonale" left the Grouping and joined the 11th Signal Regiment. On 1 June 2004 the grouping was elevated to RISTA-EW Brigade, when the 41st Regiment "Cordenons" joined the grouping on that day. On 28 June 2005 the 13th Battalion "Aquileia" in Anzio was raised and joined the brigade as its Human Intelligence (HUMINT) unit. On 5 November 2018 the brigade was renamed Tactical Intelligence Brigade and on the same date the 13th Battalion "Aquileia" was reorganized and renamed 13th Regiment.[1][6]

Current structure

As of the 2019 the brigade is organized as follows:[1]

References
  1. "Brigata Informazioni Tattiche". Italian Army. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  2. F. dell'Uomo, R. Puletti (1998). L'Esercito Italiano verso il 2000 - Vol. Primo - Tomo II. Rome: SME - Ufficio Storico. p. 320.
  3. F. dell'Uomo, R. Puletti (1998). L'Esercito Italiano verso il 2000 - Vol. Primo - Tomo II. Rome: SME - Ufficio Storico. p. 322.
  4. F. dell'Uomo, R. Puletti (1998). L'Esercito Italiano verso il 2000 - Vol. Primo - Tomo II. Rome: SME - Ufficio Storico. p. 334.
  5. "33° Reggimento EW - La Storia". Italian Army. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  6. "13° Reggimento - La Storia". Italian Army. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
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