| Unit Name: | Multinational Specialized Unit |
| Dates: | 1998-present |
| Branch: | Carabinieri |
| Type: | Gendarmerie |
| Role: | Military missions abroad |
| Size: | Regiment various sizes |
| Command Structure: | Carabinieri Mobile Units Division SFOR KFOR MNF-I |
| Nickname: | MSU |
| Motto: | Una vis (One strength) Nei Secoli Fedele (Faithful throughout the centuries) |
| Colors: | Blue, red and black. |
| Colours Label: | --> |
| March: | La Fedelissima (The Ever Faithful) by Luigi Cirenei |
| Anniversaries: | 5 June, Carabinieri Day |
| Battles: | Operation Joint Endeavour |
| Battles Label: | Military operations |
| Website: | Carabinieri.it |
| Current Commander: | Col. Stefano Fedele |
| Commander1 Label: | Commander of KFOR-MSU |
| Commander2: | Col. Ruggiero Capodivento |
| Commander2 Label: | Noteworthy commanders |
The Multinational Specialized Unit (MSU), is a unit of the Italian Carabinieri, dedicated to the military missions abroad, including the military and civilian police tasks, peacekeeping operations, crowd and riot control.[1]
After its creation in 1998, MSU units took part in many different NATO operations, in Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia Herzegovina and Iraq.
Initially it has employed members of the 7th Carabinieri Regiment "Trentino-Alto Adige", the 13th Carabinieri Regiment "Friuli-Venezia Giulia" and the 1st Parachute Carabinieri Regiment "Tuscania". During the next years it has employed members from all over Italy, from every other Carabinieri units.
See also: Implementation Force and Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first mission where MSU was involved was the NATO-SFOR, in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav Wars. MSU was composed by Italian Carabinieri and members of the Romanian Military Police, among soldiers of Austria, Hungary and Slovenia.[2]
See also: Operation Allied Harbour. After the tension in the Balkan area, during the Yugoslav Wars, in particular in the northern part of Kosovo a MSU detachment was deployed in Albania during Operation Allied Harbor, to aid the country in the refugees management. The mission was codenamed AFOR.[3]
See also: Iraq War and Operation Ancient Babylon.
During the NATO Mission, inside the Multi-National Force – Iraq, MSU was deployed alongside other Italians units. The Italian Mission codename was Operation Ancient Babylon. MSU was composed by Italian Carabinieri, Italian Army liaison officers, members of Romanian Military Police and Portuguese National Republican Guard. During the mission MSU suffered heavy losses, in particular for the 2003 Nasiriyah bombing.[4]
See also: Kosovo War and Kosovo Force.
Since 1999, after the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, MSU has been deployed into Kosovo for peacekeeping operations within NATO-KFOR. After years it's still present in the theatre, contributing to maintain peace and stability in the country.[1]
From 1999 to 2013 the French National Gendarmerie, Estonian Military Police and Austrian Military Police were also part of the MSU. Since 2013 it is composed entirely of the Italian Carabinieri and its main mission is to patrol the entire city of Mitrovica 24/7, in particular the New Bridge.[5]
Since 2022 a unit of Army of the Czech Republic Military Police is part of the MSU regiment.
The KFOR-MSU Regiment is commanded by Italian Carabinieri brigadier general Ruggiero Capodivento.[6] [7] [8]
| 1 | July 22, 1999 | July 18, 2000 | |||
| 2 | July 19, 2000 | April 23, 2001 | |||
| 3 | April 24, 2001 | May 3, 2002 | |||
| 4 | May 4, 2002 | June 9, 2003 | |||
| 5 | June 10, 2003 | July 22, 2004 | |||
| 6 | July 23, 2004 | July 28, 2005 | |||
| 7 | July 29, 2005 | August 23, 2006 | |||
| 8 | August 24, 2006 | August 26, 2007 | |||
| 9 | August 27, 2007 | September 10, 2008 | |||
| 10 | September 11, 2008 | September 8, 2009 | |||
| 11 | September 9, 2009 | September 8, 2010 | |||
| 12 | September 9, 2010 | September 8, 2011 | |||
| 13 | September 9, 2011 | December 1, 2012 | |||
| 14 | December 2, 2012 | December 7, 2013 | |||
| 15 | December 8, 2013 | February 11, 2015 | |||
| 16 | February 12, 2015 | October 13, 2015 | |||
| 17 | October 14, 2015 | October 13, 2016 | |||
| 18 | October 14, 2016 | September 11, 2017 | |||
| 19 | September 12, 2017 | September 14, 2018 | |||
| 20 | September 15, 2018 | October 16, 2019 | |||
| 21 | October 17, 2019 | ... | |||
| 22 | ... | ... | |||
| 23 | February 02, 2021 | January 27, 2022[9] | |||
| 24 | January 28, 2022 | January 26, 2023 | |||
| 25 | January 26, 2023 | February 7, 2023 | |||
| 26 | February 8, 2022 | present |