M.V.S.N. (Kingdom of Italy)

Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale
The MVSN emblem
Active	1923 - Present
Country	Italian Social Republic
Branch	Party armed wing
Size	721,160
Part of	PNF
Headquarters	Palazzo della Milizia, Roma, Italy
March	Giovinezza
Colors	Black, Silver
Commander	Commandant General Tullio Di Domenici

The Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale, or MVSN (Voluntary Militia for National Security) are the PNF armed and security wing in Italy. The main role entrusted to the MVSN is to ensure national security and protection for the top Regime personnel against internal opposition and to serve as a counterbalance against coup attempts by the regular Army. MVSN is organised like infantry, and is to supplement the military and police serving as security in rear areas during wartime or in political emergencies, such as protests against the government.
The Militia has delicate political tasks, but also military educational and strictly military duties. The MVSN also helps Police to maintain public order and to ensure the proper functioning of essential state services (in support to the Public Security), cares of the pre-military education, and oversees State borders with special border units.
Recruitment is strictly voluntary and most recruits are drawn from the Avanguardisti (GIL) who are at least 18 years old. The solemn function of the Fascist Muster is set for April, 21st of each year, and finished with the symbolic rite of delivery of the musket to recruits. Applications for entry of young people are collected by the Legion commands, which act as centers of mobilization. In case of mobilization of the armed forces of the State, the Legionnaries are absorbed by the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, with some exceptions. Despite provisions, this merger is considered as being a source of problems. In general, the Militia advocates a civil war heroism, and the indiscipline is an Arditi source of pride, while the Armed Forces enhance the patriotic values against the foreigners.
M.V.S.N. personnel, strictly when in service, are Public Security Officers and Agents, according the actual rank, while members of Specialties are also Judicial Police Officers and Agents, according the rank. The M.V.S.N. consists of three main branches: 20,000 Legionnaires permanently serving into the Local Police Corps, with special regulations and paid by the relevant Province or Municipality; 15,000 permanent-service Legionnaires and of 450,000 partly rotating Legionnaires on 5-turns basis, assigned to the Provincial Legions; the remaining 201,000 partly rotating Legionnaires are assigned to Specialties, to the General Command and to some special units. The basic subdivisions are the Provincial Legions, which are grouped into 15 "Area Commands".
Police and public security training is conducted by the Public Security apparatus at a local level, including Specialties and special units; however, all MVSN Legionnaires have served their time in the military. Party indoctrination is at least as important as technical training.

Organization

The organization of the militia consists of a General Command, which is in control of "Militia Regions", composed of provincial Legions, which are the basic units: there are 110 metropolitan Legions and a War Veteran Legion, based in Rome and with a War Veteran Unit for each Legion, established in the provincial capital.
Each Legion consists of three Cohorts, in their turn formed by three handpieces, which consist of two Centurie each. Each Centuria is made up of ten Squads.
The Legionaries, and especially the officers, they are divided into three categories:

• Permanent Service (mostly high officers, some sub-officers and troops and some specialized permanent units);
• Cadres (the vast majority of active personnel usually not in service, but they can be recalled in service);
• Reserve.

The system provides the chance for officers to pass upon demand from the Armed Forces in the Militia or vice versa. The General Command provides for the appointment of officers.
The services performed by the Legionaries up to the rank of Primo Caposquadra is not of a continuing nature (with the exception of some Permanent Service Legionnaires), but is based on the periodic visits, especially for rotation to the territorial garrisons and detachments, but also in view of particular events or reasons for training missions. The general mobilization is the responsibility only of the Duce. Enrollment is possible only if enrolled in the National Fascist Party.
Legionaries in permanent service are in turn divided as follows:

• Actual permanent service: providing non-stop service to the Commands and are paid on a monthly basis with fixed remuneration;
• Cadres who have a Command: despite being in service, they do not receive fixed compensation, except in cases of service outside of their residence.

Recruitment centers of the Militia are the Legion Commands, which judge the applications and have a special Personnel Office. The appointment of MVSN Officers is carried out by the General Command on its own, differently from the Decree of the Duce required for Armed Forces officers.

General Command

The General Command is the complex of the managing bodies of MVSN. It is made up of the Commandant General, the Central Commission and the General Staff. Within the MVSN, the General Command is a legal entity on its own, which receives appropriations for its own purposes, mainly cerimonial ones.

Commandant General

The Commandant General of the Militia is the commander in chief of the Militia and is appointed and revoked at any time by the Duce of Fascism, after consulting the Chief of Defence Staff. As part of the Militia, the Commandant General has higher hierarchical rank than all the MVSN officers. In case of absence, impediment or vacancy of office, he is replaced by the designated general officer.

Central Commission

The Central Commission of the MVSN is the body tasked with assisting the Commandant General of the MVSN. It consists of the four highest ranking officers: the Chief of Staff of the MVSN, the Secretary General of the OVRA, the Commandant General of the National Republican Guard and the Director General of the Central Security Office. Being the terminal of the four Party-controlled security organization, the Central Commission is considered to be the counterpart of the Defence General Staff; however, it is a much weaker organization, due to the direct dependence of its constituent branches also on the Party and State leaders, but still useful in order to provide common logistical and operational support to all MVSN branches.

General Staff

The Militia General Staff is a military staff tasked with managing the MVSN (and some aspects related to the GNR and the OVRA):

• Organization Department;
• Training Department;
• Personnel and disciplineDepartment;
• Health Department;
• Administration Department;
• Training Office;
• Political Office;
• Legal Affairs Office;
• Army Liaison Office;
• Public Security Liaison Office;
• Press Office

Militia Press Office

The MVSN has a Press and Propaganda Central Office at the General HQs. It is subdivided into four sections:

• Internal and Foreign Press Section (It: Sezione stampa interna ed estera);
• Propaganda Section (Sezione propaganda);
• Historical Section (Sezione storica);
• Radio-TV Broadcasting Section (Sezione Audiovisivo);
• Internet Communications Section (Sezione Comunicazioni Internet), which operates the official websites.

The Press Office is responsible for the regular publication of the fortnightly "Foglio d'Ordini", which works as official newspaper about the activities of the militia and the regular weekly "Milizia Fascista". The Legion Libraries are under the direct control of the Office.

Specialties

All uniformed MVSN components and subcomponents, including even the National Republican Guard, wear the same standard uniform elements: black or khaki trousers and black shirt. Additional equipment varies according to the task assigned. The Legionnaire shown above is in its summer uniform.

MVSN Specialties provide police and public security specialized services within the broad scope of the whole MVSN:

• Border Militia (Milizia Confinaria) - alongside Public Security
• Medical Militia (Milizia ruolo medico)
• Militia Military Chaplains (Assistenza spirituale della Milizia)
• Railway Militia (Milizia Ferroviaria - Ministry of Public Transportations) - alongside Public Security.
• Labour Militia (Milizia del Lavoro - Ministry of Corporations)
• Forest Militia (Milizia Forestale - Ministry of Agricolture and Forestry)
• Port and Air Militia (Milizia Portuaria and Milizia dell'Aria)- Coast Guard duties alongside Navy and airport police
• Highway Militia (Milizia della Strada - Ministry of Public Transportations) - alongside Public Security.

Each Specialty has an its own Inspectorate, Specialty Staff and Specialty Training School (the latter also crewed with police, for matters related to the police activities), which coordinate the relevant Specialty activities across national territory; specialties of the Militia also recognize a technical and professional dependence on the competent Ministry and the competent Public Security authority.

Railway Militia

The Railway Militia (Milizia Ferroviaria, Mil.Fe.) is a MVSN Specialty governed by the Ministry of Transportations and the tasks of entrusted to militia are all related to the railways security and safety. Main tasks are prevention and repression of misuse in transportation of people and goods, personnel surveillance, railway patrols, guard service to freight and in mobile material depots, escort to trains and political police on the rail. In addition, they often conduct joint police activities with the Railway Police Service.
The personnel of the Railway Militia is drawn from the officials and agents of the administration of the State Railways, preferably members of the Association Fascist Railwaymen. The elements that provide permanent service are then by the State railways to the Militia for the duration of this service. The Railway Militia is organized on 23 Legion Detachments, 100 Railway Station Commands, a Specialty School and the Specialty Inspectorate.

Labour Militia

The Labour Militia (Miliizia del Lavoro, Mil. La.) is the MVSN Specialty which has the task of effectively combating the phenomena of social unrest related to work. The Labour Militia frames the Labour Militia Inspectorates Squads. The Labour Militia operates at functional dependencies of the Ministry of Corporations, is headquartered in Rome at the Ministry, and is a structure which belongs to the Voluntary Militia for National Security for what concerns the training, sorting, discipline and career progress. From a personnel-related point of view, the Mil.La. consists of personnel with a high level of professionalism and operational efficiency and is set up to be able to exercise vigilance in the application of laws relating to labor and social security systems wherever there is a wage or salary or a salary. Differently from all other Specialties, the Mil.La. is completely autonomous from Public Security.
Personnel is selected in relation to tilt and preparation of inspection efforts, experience and or aptitude for investigative activities and technical and professional preparation in the particular field, achieved by attending special courses.
The tasks are mainly directed at ascertaining violations of labour law. The personnel of the Labour Militia, in the exercise of their functions, are given "powers of inspection and supervision" necessary to carry out all the tasks of monitoring and verification.
The Labour Militia, at the central level, consists of:

• Specialty Inspectorate
• Specialty School
• Analysis Section with a monitoring tasks of inspection activities at the national level, as well as observation of the phenomena related to the world of work.

While, at the peripheral level, it consists of:

• 5 Groups with interprovincial responsibility, with offices in the cities of Milan, Padua, Rome, Naples and Palermo, which report to the Inspectorate and are directed by officers having the rank of Prime Tribune.
• 110 Legion Detachments Labour Inspectorates, established at the Provincial Corporatist Labour Inspectorates. Each Detachment is administratively dependent on the Legion which it is deployed in.

Within each Group there is an Investigative Squad that operates within the territorial jurisdiction and increases the contrast of the greatest social phenomena, the connotation and the resulting inter-activity of the Judicial Police. The provincial detachments receive from their respective inspectorates general guidelines regarding the particular service they are asked to perform.

Legion

M.V.S.N. senior officer in Full Uniform.

The MVSN Legion is the basic organizational element. It has a provincial-related jurisdiction, and each Legion manages all MVSN activties within its Province, ranging from territorial presence to public order, public security and civil protection support activity. During wartime, permanent personnel of each Legion form infantry units attached to the Army; MVSN officers act as Army officers within the MVSN units. However, during wartime the vast majority of Cadres personnel is mobilized as ordinary part of the Armed Forces. During military actions other than major wars, whole Legions can be recalled as MVSN formations and transformed into combat units; in this case, each Legion forms an Infantry Battalion-level unit. Moreover, Legions are in charge also of Local Police Corps, which are recruited among M.V.S.N, personnel; however, Local Police are not part of the Provincial Legions.
Each Legion has an average strength of 900 men each Legion; however, the Legion of Rome has three times the average Legionnaires numbers, while Legions of Milan, Neaples, Palermo and Cagliari are twice the average Legion size.
During peacetime, Legions' primary task is the territorial presence, organized trough a garrisons and detachments network, in order to watch over political stability and over police forces.
The whole complex of the Provincial Legions, at any point of the year, deploys in active service 105,000 Legionnaires: from this number, however, are excluded all Specialties. The presence of 105,000 Legionnaires at any point of year means that the Provincial Legions (sometimes dubbed as "Territorial Militia") have a total rotation of 450,000 Legionnaires.
Each Provincial Legion is commanded by a Seniore (equivalent to a Colonel), who directs all offices subordinated to the Legion Command, in turn held by a Prime Tribune (It: Primo Tribuno, corresponding to a Lieutenant Colonel), who also acts as Commander's deputy. Offices and Services are each commanded by a Tribune (It: Tribuno, equivalent to Major) or a Maniple Chief (It: Capomanipolo, Captain). All commanders and staff teams are of permanent service, while troops and platoon leaders are Cadres.

• Legion Command Maniple (permanent service)
  • Chaplain detachment
  • Personnel Office
  • Political Office of Investigation
• Recruitment Centuria/Cohort
• Specialty Detachments (with the exception of Medical Militia; mixed): not counted within the numerical limits of the Provincial Legion;
  • Detachment Commands (permanent service)
  • Detachment troops (Cadres)
• Public Order Maniple (permanent service + Cadres)
• Civil Protection Maniple (Cadres)
• Medical Detachment (Cadres)
• Territorial Garrisons (Cohort-level) and Detachments (Maniple-level)
  • Garrisons and Detachments Commands (permanent service)
  • Garrisons and Detachments troops (Cadres)

Territorial Detachments are frequently headquartered near to large State factories, in order to "defend the property of the Italian people", while Garrisons are based next to large provincial centres, and usually carry out general and political police surveillance duties. The Detachment Commander (a Maniple Chief) has a Political Deputy (It: Delegato Politico, belonging to the PNF) and a Deputy Commander, plus a supply officer and a chief medical orderly. Other personnel include the four platoon leaders, four deputy platoon leaders, 184 Legionnaires and four medical orderlies (one per platoon).

Political Office of Investigation

The Political Office of Investigation (Ufficio Politico Investigativo, U.P.I.) is, in any Legion, the office of the political police of the MVSN. Political Offices of Investigation at the provincial legions are among the principal OVRA territorial instruments of repression. These offices are partially overlapping with the public security apparatuses, which have to cooperate with. Each UPI depends on the relevant Legion Command and is usually subdivided in three sections: central section, interrogations section, investigative section.
Theoretically, all information politically relevant are to be transmitted to the Political Office of the Questura and to the Second Central Directorate of the OVRA. In practice, the UPI acts more as provincial branch of the OVRA, and few information are transmitted to the Public Security. Moreover, UPI are often used by local Party Federal Secretaries in order to keep an eye over their internal adversaries, as well as their own power instrument.
The members of the Political Offices of Investigation are also charged with using their local knowledge to track down and arrest deserters from the military and to track down rumours and those who instigated or spread them.

Wartime organization

During wartime and in case of danger of a national invasion, the provincial organization radically changes its organization and assets in order to replace military personnel under arms. MVSN units during wartime are placed under direct command of the local PNF. Though normally under party control, the "War Militia" units are placed under Army command when engaging in action. The basic unit is a War Cohort of 642 men. Units are mostly composed of members of the GIL, invalids, the elderly, or men who had previously been considered unfit for military service:

• A War Cohort (Battalion) in every Province;
• A War Maniple (Company) in every Administrative District (It: Circondario Amministrativo)
• A Platoon in every Subdistrict (It: Mandamento)

Each Federal Secretary, has a MVSN Chief of Staff to assist in handling militia problems.

Ranks and insignia of the M.V.S.N.

MVSN Special Ranks insignia
Special rank	Comandante Generale G.N.R. Direttore Generale O.V.R.A. Capo di Stato Maggiore della Milizia	Comandante Generale della Milizia
English translation	Commandant General G.N.R. Director General O.V.R.A. Chief of MVSN Staff	Commandant General M.V.S.N.
Corresponding Army rank (Italian)	Capo di Stato Maggiore di Forza Armata	Capo di Stato Maggiore dela Difesa
Corresponding Army rank (English)	Chief of Service Staff	Chief of Defence Staff
Shoulder board insignia

MVSN officers ranks and insignia
MVSN rank	Vice-Centurione	Centurione	Capomanipolo	Tribuno	Primo Tribuno	Seniore	Console	Console Generale	Luogotenente Generale
English translation	Deputy Centurion	Centurion	Maniple Chief	Tribune	Prime Tribune	Seniore	Consul	Consul General	Lieutenant General
GNR/Ovra rank	Sotto-luogotenente	Luogotenente	Capitano	Maggiore	Luogotenente Colonnello	Colonnello	Brigadier Generale	Maggior Generale	Luogotenente Generale
English translation	Under-Lieutenant	Lieutenant	Captain	Major	Lieutenant Colonel	Colonel	Brigadier General	Major General	Lieutenant General
Corresponding Army rank (Italian)	Sottotenente	Tenente	Capitano	Maggiore	Tenente Colonnello	Colonnello	Generale di Brigata	Generale di Divisione	Generale di Corpo d'Armata
Corresponding Army rank (English)	Second Lieutenant	Lieutenant	Captain	Major	Lieutenant Colonel	Colonel	Brigadier	Major General	Lieutenant General
Shoulder board insignia

MVSN Subofficers ranks and insignia
MVSN rank	Aiutante	Aiutante Capo	Primo Aiutante
English translation	Adjutant	Chief Adjutant	Prime Adjutant
Corresponding Army rank (Italian)	Maresciallo	Maresciallo Capo	Maresciallo Maggiore
Corresponding Army rank (English)	Warrant Officer Class Two	Warrant Officer Second Class	Warrant Officer First Class
Shoulder board insignia

Equipment

The MVSN on its own (separated from both GNR and OVRA) has both civilian and military equipment for the fulfilment of its duties.

Light weapons

Light weapons used by the MVSN includ military weapons. Ordinarily only the personal weapons are carried on external service.

• Personal weapons:
  • Beretta 92 FS cal. 9 mm (semi-automatic pistol)
  • Beretta Model 12 (submachine gun)
  • Beretta AR70/90 (assault rifle)
• Unit weapons:
  • MG 42/59 (machine gun)
  • Morelli FP 90 S (sniper rifle)
  • Franchi SPAS-15 (combat shotgun)

Mortars

The mortars are an important resource in the combat infantry. Simple to use, they can open fire from covered positions a lot and thanks to the target trajectory are strongly arched able to beat a low profile targets to artillery fire. The MVSN only has light mortars (60 mm); currently it uses the German Hirtenberger 60 mm.

Anti-tank weapons

Depending on the range anti-tank weapons are used by specialized units in the fight against tanks or are distributed as a self-defence equipment of all combat units. The MVSN has mainly rocket-launchers:

• Anti-tank rocket launcher "Folgore"
• Anti-tank rocket launcher "Panzerfaust 4"
• Anti-tank short-range guided missile Oto Melara "MILAN"
• Anti-tank and anti-personnel fire-and-forget guided missile Oto Melara "Aspide"

Tactical vehicles

• Enduro 350cm3
• Land Rover VAV AR 90 (attack jeep)
• Iveco VTLM Lince (light multirole vehicle)
• Fiat VM 90 Torpedo (light multirole vehicle)
• Iveco VM 90 (light multirole vehicle)
• Iveco ACTL 4x4 (light truck)
• Iveco ACTL 6x6 (medium truck)
• Land Rover Discovery (protected): for security purposes
• Fiat Ducato 4x4 (armoured): for security purposes
• Iveco Eurocargo 6x6 P (armoured): for security purposes
• Rayton Fissore Magnum (protected): for security purposes

Related voices

• National Republican Guard
• OVRA (Italian Social Republic)|OVRA
• Provincial Corporatist Labour Inspectorates