| “ | Italy rejects war as an instrument of aggression against the freedoms of others peoples and as a means for settling international controversies; it agrees, on conditions of equality with other states, to the limitations of sovereignty necessary for an order that ensures peace and justice among Nations; it promotes and encourages international organizations having such ends in view. | ” |
| —Article 11 of Italian Constitution | ||
The Italian armed forces are under the command of the Supreme Defence Council, presided over by the President of the Italian Republic. In 2008 the military had 186,798 personnel on active duty, along with 114,778 in the national gendarmerie. Italy shares nuclear weapons with NATO, in the form of US nuclear weapons leased to the country. Total military spending in 2007 was $33.1 billion, equal to 1.8% of national GDP.
The Italian armed forces are divided into four branches