The most important installation is Naval Air Station Sigonella NAS. It is part of a larger NATO base that houses soldiers from several countries. The base is registered and officially administered by Italian authorities, although it hosts at least 40 American units.
Sigonella Air Base is located in southern Italy, near Catania, on the island of Sicily. Due to its strategic location, the base is useful not only for the United States, but also for a greater number of partners and allies. On the territory of the Sigonella air base is the operational base of the ground surveillance system (Alliance Ground Surveillance – AGS), which employs about 500 military personnel of the alliance countries. The base also houses airspace control equipment.
Additionally, there is a naval base at Gaeta and an air base at Aviano in Italy. And in Vicenza the command of the US Army in Southern Europe is concentrated, consisting of Caserma Ederle e Camp Del Din.
In the Apennines are also several command bodies of the alliance, including: the headquarters of the Joint Military Command (SHVK) and the command of the naval forces under the control of the ShVK in Naples.
There are several educational institutions in Italy and a NATO research center: a military college in Rome, a school of communication and information systems in Latina and a center for underwater studies in La Spezia.
It should be noted that the presence of the above military presence is of a defensive nature for the country and at the same time helps Italy to reduce its military expenditure thanks to American support.
As for the population, the main thing, until recently, was quite equal to the existence of all these infrastructures on its territory. However, in recent times, in connection with the events in Ukraine, a wave of rallies sweeps over the country from time to time to demand the closure of NATO bases in Italy.
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