Aviano Air Base - supporting our own away from home!

Aviano Air Base (IATA: AVB, ICAO: LIPA) is a USAF airbase in Aviano (Friulian: Avian), a town in the province of Pordenone, at the foot of the Dolomites mountain range of the Carnic Alps in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Northeastern Italy. It overlooks the Po Valley to the southwest, the largest and richest agricultural and industrial plain in Italy. The air base is about a half hour from skiing at Piancavallo, an International ski resort, and an hour from the Mediterranean beaches of the Adriatic (Grado, Jesolo, Lignano, Bibione and Carole). The closest large city to Aviano is Pordenone, which is about 15 minutes away. Aviano Air Base is about an hour northeast of Venice by car or train and an hour west by car of Slovenia, Yugoslavia's first break away republic. Austria is about an hour and a half away to the north by car, while Switzerland, Croatia & Bosnia are several hours away by car.

US F-16s at Aviano

Aviano Air Base is home of the Headquarters of the 16th Air Force, 31st Fighter Wing, and many temporary duty units supporting it's various operations. The 16th Air Force is the headquarters serving the Southern Region or Mediterranean Region. The major bases include Aviano and Incirlik Air Base, Turkey.

The 31 FW (Fighter Wing) includes a maintenance group, a mission support group, a medical group and an operations group (OG). Aviano Air Base's 31st FW OG is home to two F-16 fighter squadrons, the 510th FS (Buzzards "Purple Fin Flash") and the 555th FS (Triple Nickel "Green Fin Flash"). Both squadrons relocated from Ramstein AB in 1994 and redesignated. The wing was redesignated from the 401st Fighter Wing to the 31st Fighter Wing in 1994 as Aviano took on permanently based aircraft for the first time in over 50 years. Both are equipped with Block 40 F-16CM Fighting Falcons, tail coded "AV". Aviano's current mission is to conduct regional and expeditionary operations under NATO, SACEUR or national tasking. The History of Aviano Air Base goes back many years.

The layout of Aviano is unique because the community consists of seven areas, which include the administrative, community and support areas, the 16th Air Force command compound, the flight line area, a munitions storage area, a civil engineering complex, a recreational area and a decommissioned fuel railhead. Aviano Air Base is divided into nine areas stretched between the towns of Aviano and Pordenone, nine miles south of the base. After the completion of the Aviano 2000 project, many elements of the scattered areas have been consolidated into the flightline area. The major areas are:

Area A1 contains contains most of Aviano's support functions (such as the library and chapel) and the newly built school for the base population's children.

Area A2 contains Billeting, the Fitness Centers, Dining Halls, Dormitories, Thrift Shop and Fire Department.
Aviano Bridge

Area C contains Civil Engineering activities, Initial Issue, and contractor facilities.

Area D contains a soccer/football field and picnic area.

Area E, the 16th Air Force Headquarters area, contains AFN, some communications functions (base operators) and K-9 facilities. The Italian Carabinieri (military police) also have their base headquarters in this area.

Area F is the flightline area, and by far the largest area in Aviano. This sprawling complex contains the active runway and two taxiways, the operational and support units: 31st Fighter Wing Commander's Office, a portion of the Traffic Management Office, Air Mobility Command Passenger Terminal, Supply, Security Force Offices, flying squadrons, new dormitories, Billiting, BX and Commissary, Food Court, Post Office, Movie Theater, Fitness Centers, Recreational Area (ball parks, track, campground), Golf Course, Pass & Registration, and Drivers Testing.

Venice Hotel Reservations

Operation Yellow Ribbon volunteers provide smiles and a warm welcome February 1st, 2012 -- Who would think a bag of chips and can of soda could make someone grin from ear to ear? The Operation Yellow Ribbon program's mission is to provide a smile and a warm welcome to service members who are heading to or coming back from a deployed location.

Statement by the Press Secretary on the Visit of Prime Minister Monti of Italy February 9, 2012 -- President Obama will host Prime Minister Mario Monti of Italy at the White House on Thursday, February 9th. Italy and the United States are close NATO allies, and coordinate continuously on a full range of regional and global priorities.

Costa Concordia Shipwreck January 15, 2012 -- The United States Embassy in Rome sends its condolences to the families of those passengers of the Costa Concordia cruise ship who died in a shipwreck off the coast of Tuscany early this morning. The welfare of American citizens in Italy is the highest priority of the U.S. Embassy in Rome, and the U.S. Embassy in Rome and the U.S. Consulate in Florence are working with local officials and the families of the passengers to provide assistance to Americans affected by the accident.

Death of a great American artist Rome, July 6, 2011 -- Cy Twombly, an important American artist who came to Italy in 1957, has died in Rome. Our condolences go to his family and friends. We will miss his presence, and are proud that one of his paintings hangs in the Ambassador’s residence, Villa Taverna.

Remarks by Vice President Biden and Italian President Napolitano to the Press in Rome Rome, June 1, 2011 -- [...] Mr. President, thank you very much. It’s a genuine honor to be here. I and President Obama -- I'm delighted that President Obama spent last week in Europe and meeting with you in Warsaw, because that meant I could come to Italy. He was unable to stay out of the country much longer, and I am flattered that I am able to be here.

Remarks by President Obama on Recovery Efforts in Haiti, January 14, 2010: The losses that have been suffered in Haiti are nothing less than devastating, and responding to a disaster of this magnitude will require every element of our national capacity -- our diplomacy and development assistance; the power of our military; and, most importantly, the compassion of our country. And this morning, I’m joined by several members of my national security team who are leading this coordinated response. [Click for Full Text]

Obama, Rasmussen Consult on Afghanistan Strategy, September 29, 2009: Obama, his national security advisers and NATO and European leaders are all reviewing a just-completed assessment by McChrystal of military strategy in Afghanistan. The president began his review of the assessment September 2 during a brief break from official duties at Camp David. McChrystal was selected by Obama to lead operations in Afghanistan as commander of U.S. forces and also as commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. [Click for Full Text]

North Atlantic Treaty Travels for First Time to Europe, April 1, 2009: The treaty that brought the North Atlantic Treaty Organization into being on April 4, 1949, has left the United States for the first time to be featured at the 60th anniversary NATO Summit. The 2009 NATO Summit will be held in Strasbourg, France, and Kehl Germany, and also Baden-Baden, Germany, April 3–4. The North Atlantic Treaty, also known as the Washington Treaty, is a 14-article text that pledges its members to maintain international peace. [Click for Full Text]

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Aviano Air Base - Supporting Our Own Away From Home! Serving to welcome both newcomers and current American ans/or NATO residents to the Aviano Air Base community and the surrounding area in northeastern Italy. Contents of this site are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government, the Department of Defense or the Air Force. The appearance of advertising in this site, including sites linked to this site, does not constitute endorsement by the DoD, Department of the AF, Better Life International or anyone associated with this site.

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