the navy. Naval ensign The ensign of the Italian Navy is the flag of Italy bearing the coat of arms of the Italian Navy. The shield's quarters refer to the four Medieval Italian Maritime Republics: 1st quarter: on red, a golden winged lion (the lion of St. Mark) wielding a sword (Republic of Venice) 2nd quarter: on white field, red cross (Republic of Genoa) 3rd quarter: on blue field, white Maltese cross (Republic of Amalfi) 4th quarter: on red field, white Pisan cross (Republic of Pisa) The coat of arms is surmounted by a golden crown, which distinguishes military vessels from those of the merchant navy. The crown, , was proposed in 1939 as a conjectural link to the Roman navy by Admiral Domenico Cavagnari, then a member of the Chamber of Fasces and Corporations in the Fascist government. In the proposal, Adm. Cavagnari wrote that "in order to recall the common origin [of the Navy] from the Roman mariners, the Insignia will be surmounted by the towered Crown with , the emblem of honour and valour the Roman Senate awarded to the leaders of naval victories, conquerors of lands and cities across the seas". A further difference is that St. Mark's lion, symbolising the Republic of Venice, does not hold the gospel in its paw (as it does on the civil ensign, where the book is open at the words "", meaning "peace to you, Mark, my evangelist") and is wielding a sword instead: such an image is consistent with the pictorial tradition from Venetian history, in which the book is shown open during peacetime and closed during wartime. Structure and organisation Organization In 2012 the Navy began a restructuring process that will see a 21% decrease in personnel by 2025. A new structure was implemented in January 2014. Coast Guard The Corps of the Port Captaincies – Coast Guard () is the coast guard of Italy and is part of the Italian Navy under the control of the Ministry of Infrastructures and Transports, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies, as well as, obviously, the Ministry of Defence. In Italy, it is commonly known as simply the Guardia costiera or Capitaneria di Porto. The Coast Guard has approximately 11 000 staff. Corps The Italian Navy is divided into six corps (by precedence): – Staff Officers Corps (SM): line officers – Naval Engineers