US and NATO military bases in Italy
Map of the location of US and NATO military bases in Italy
United States Air Force bases in Italy:
- Aviano Air Base
- Camp Darby (Pisa-Livorno)
- Sigonella Naval Air Station
United States Navy bases in Italy:
- Naval Air Station Sigonella
- Naval Support Activity Naples
- NCTS Naples
Italy: Naples (joint command of the NATO air force "Naples", NATO information and analytical center "Hub for the South", headquarters of the us Navy commands in Europe and Africa and the 6th operational fleet of the US Navy); Vicenza (headquarters of the US army in Africa; 173rd airborne brigade of the US armed forces); AVB Sigonella, Sicily (rotational special unit of us Marines), "Aviano"; Livorno (warehouse of the us Navy).
The number of the American contingent is about 12 thousand people.
Atomic bombs at the Aviano air force base in Italy
The USAF Aviano air base in North-Eastern Italy in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, 50 kilometers West of Udine, has been jointly operated by American and Italian aviation since 1954. The runway is 2620 meters long and 45 meters wide, which allows you to accept any type of aircraft. Aerodrome navigation and lighting equipment provides flights in difficult weather conditions day and night. In 1999, this air base served as the main stronghold of NATO aircraft involved in the bombing of Yugoslavia. It was from here that the f-117 stealth fighters flown from America took off, bombing Serbian cities. Later, the air base was used for US and NATO air force operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya.
Today, Aviano is home to the 31st fighter wing of the United States air force. It consists of two fighter squadrons — the 510th and 555th-on the F-16CG/DG. These aircraft can carry B61 nuclear bombs. According to open sources, Aviano stores up to 35 ammunition of this type in 12 protected storage facilities. About 40 more bombs are stored at the Gedi-Torre air base in Northern Italy, 15 kilometers from Brescia. The 704th air force ordnance maintenance squadron, stationed here, is responsible for them. In addition, Italian tornado IDS fighter-bombers are based on Gedi-Torre, which can use these bombs.
By the way, not everyone in Italy is happy about the presence of American nuclear weapons. So, in October 2016, the regional Council of the Tuscany region approved a resolution requiring the government to comply with the Treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and to ensure that the United States immediately removed any weapons of mass destruction from the country's territory. The document notes that Italy, as a member of the NATO nuclear planning Group, not only provides territory for nuclear weapons, but also pilots who are trained in nuclear strikes under the command of the United States on tornado fighter-bombers.
The third NATO ground surveillance plane arrived in Sigonella
17 / 07 / 2020
On July 15, the third remotely piloted aircraft of the NATO ground surveillance program arrived at 13: 37 local time at its new base in Sigonella, Italy. In total, NATO plans to purchase a total of five remote-controlled RQ-4D aircraft, called "Phoenix", which will be based in Sigonella.
"The ferry flight of a NATO-03 aircraft from California to Sicily is an important milestone in the Alliance's ground surveillance procurement program," said Brigadier General Volker Samanns, General Manager of the NATO ground surveillance Agency. "The presence of three Phoenix aircraft at Sigonella gives the NATO ground surveillance Agency greater flexibility in dealing with operational tests and inspections, while providing equipment for familiarization and training," he added.
This is another important milestone on the way to creating advanced intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities for all NATO allies.
Brigadier General Houston Cantwell, who took command of the NATO ground surveillance force earlier this month, was on hand to witness the landing. "This is a big debut for me," he said. - "This is another important milestone on the way to creating advanced intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities for all NATO allies."
This crossing of the Atlantic from California to Italy was fully controlled by pilots at the main operational base of the Alliance ground surveillance Force in Sigonella, as was the ferry flight of the first and second Alliance ground surveillance aircraft in late 2019. The Phoenix took off on Tuesday, July 14, from Edwards air force base in California, USA, at 07: 47 local time and landed in Sigonella about 21.8 hours later. The aircraft must now pass a system-level performance verification stage before it is officially transferred to the NATO ground surveillance Force.
Once all five aircraft arrive at the Alliance's main operational ground surveillance base at Sigonella by the end of 2020, the NATO ground surveillance and control system, which is collectively owned by NATO, will provide a unique state-of-the-art capability acquired by 15 allies and made available to all 30 members of the Alliance.
The entire Alliance ground surveillance system is a specially designed system specifically adapted to NATO requirements and specifically designed to meet the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance requirements defined by the North Atlantic Council and the Supreme allied commander in Europe.