Lion of Saint Mark
The marines of the San Marco Regiment are designated as Marine Riflemen. Their rank system is similar to the Italian Army except that enlisted men are distinguished by a sailor's collar on the uniform and a navy blue beret. Both the Navy's San Marco marines and the Army's Lagunari amphibious infantry have the Lion of Saint Mark in their coat of arms. Plans to consolidate both organizations together (as it was during the early '50s when both Army and Navy contributed to a naval infantry unit known as the Settore Forze Lagunari that after became the Lagunari regiment) was abandoned in the mid-1990s. Today, however, close co-operation exists because of a common operations staff in Brindisi, which has continued to strengthen ties between the two units (" Forza di Proiezione dal Mare ").