On 1 October 1986 the Italian Army abolished the divisional level and brigades, that until then had been under one of the Army's four divisions, came forthwith under direct command of the Army's 3rd Army Corps or 5th Army Corps.
As the Armored Division "Ariete" carried a historically significant name, the division ceased to exist on 30 September in Pordenone, but the next day in the same location the 132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete" was activated.
The new brigade took command of the units of the 132nd Armored Brigade "Manin", whose name was stricken from the roll of active units of the Italian Army.

The brigade came under direct command of the 5th Army Corps.
The 5th Army Corps was tasked with defending the Yugoslav-Italian border against possible attacks by either the Warsaw Pact, or Yugoslavia or both.
The brigade’s authorized strength was 3,381 men (214 Officers, 516 non-commissioned officers and 2,651 soldiers) and it was initially composed by the following units:
 132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete", in Pordenone
Command and Signal Unit "Ariete", in Pordenone
 8th Tank Battalion "M.O. Secchiaroli", in Aviano (M60A1 Patton main battle tanks)
 10th Tank Battalion "M.O. Bruno", in Aviano (M60A1 Patton main battle tanks)
 13th Tank Battalion "M.O. Pascucci", in Cordenons (Leopard 1A2 main battle tanks, transferred from the Mechanized Brigade "Brescia" on 1 October 1986)
 27th Bersaglieri Battalion "Jamiano", in Aviano (VCC-1 armored personnel carriers)
 20th Self-propelled Field Artillery Group "Piave", in Maniago (M109G 155mm Self-propelled howitzers)
 Logistic Battalion "Ariete", in Maniago
Anti-tank Company "Ariete", in Aviano (BGM-71 TOW anti-tank guided missiles)
Engineer Company "Ariete", in Maniago
On 1 October 1986 the Italian Army abolished the divisional level and brigades, that until then had been under one of the Army's four divisions, came forthwith under direct command of the Army's 3rd Army Corps or 5th Army Corps. As the Armored Division "Ariete" carried a historically significant name, the division ceased to exist on 30 September in Pordenone, but the next day in the same location the 132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete" was activated. The new brigade took command of the units of the 132nd Armored Brigade "Manin", whose name was stricken from the roll of active units of the Italian Army.
The brigade came under direct command of the 5th Army Corps. The 5th Army Corps was tasked with defending the Yugoslav-Italian border against possible attacks by either the Warsaw Pact, or Yugoslavia or both. The brigade’s authorized strength was 3,381 men (214 Officers, 516 non-commissioned officers and 2,651 soldiers) and it was initially composed by the following units:
 132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete", in Pordenone
Command and Signal Unit "Ariete", in Pordenone
 8th Tank Battalion "M.O. Secchiaroli", in Aviano (M60A1 Patton main battle tanks)
 10th Tank Battalion "M.O. Bruno", in Aviano (M60A1 Patton main battle tanks)
 13th Tank Battalion "M.O. Pascucci", in Cordenons (Leopard 1A2 main battle tanks, transferred from the Mechanized Brigade "Brescia" on 1 October 1986)
 27th Bersaglieri Battalion "Jamiano", in Aviano (VCC-1 armored personnel carriers)
 20th Self-propelled Field Artillery Group "Piave", in Maniago (M109G 155mm Self-propelled howitzers)
 Logistic Battalion "Ariete", in Maniago
Anti-tank Company "Ariete", in Aviano (BGM-71 TOW anti-tank guided missiles)
Engineer Company "Ariete", in Maniago
132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete"