During the holidays, the Armed Forces maintained their job in Italy and abroad, with over 12,000 troops engaged in different operational scenarios to preserve national interests, international security, and the country's major urban regions. On the national level, as part of the "Safe Roads" operation, some 5,000 troops patrol the streets and squares, maintaining security in Italy's densely populated metropolitan regions during this time of year. The military forces are at the disposal of the Prefects, who use them to conduct patrols and surveillance of strategic locations, as well as to assist the Carabinieri and other police forces. Abroad, the Armed Forces, with over 7,000 soldiers, are present in 35 international missions within the framework of multinational coalitions, under the aegis of the UN, NATO and the European Union or bilateral agreements. The Italian military is stationed in 24 countries spanning the Arctic and Baltic regions, the Alliance's eastern flank, the Persian Gulf, the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Sahel, the Gulf of Guinea, and Antarctica.
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