NATO system to boost U.S. Sigonella presence

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NATO system to boost U.S. Sigonella presence
By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Wednesday, February 4, 2009

The U.S. Navy base in Sigonella will house NATO’s future air surveillance command and control system, which could boost the U.S. military presence on the Sicilian island by 800 troops, officials said.

The Air Ground Surveillance system, which has stirred up controversy among Italian politicians, is slated to be operational by 2012. It will consist of a fleet of eight U.S.-manufactured Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles and the accompanying assets to operate it, said Robert Pszczel, a NATO headquarters spokesman.

Sigonella has about 3,500 military, civilians and dependents.

NATO’s participating 26 nations collectively agreed to house the AGS at Sigonella. Originally, it was planned to be a combination of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles, but now will consist of only a fleet of the unmanned reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft, Pszczel said.

The addition of the AGS to the Naval Air Station Sigonella base will boost the number of military members and families, and means "the realization of new infrastructure and housing, and therefore breathing a fresh breath for the economy," Italian Minster of Defense Ignazio La Russa said on the ministry’s Web site.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60461