A base within the base. The Sigonella military airport has a double soul, between the Italian Air Force and the United States. The site is 100 percent Italian, but the strategic importance for allies remains, whether it is NATO or US army operations. This was also seen with the war in Iran and the Meloni government’s decision to deny the use of the base to aircraft heading to the Middle East. And Donald Trump has, once again, devoted his attention to the base in Sicily. Not surprisingly.
Who exactly is in charge at the Sigonella base
Clarification: Sigonella is not a US territory. The “Cosimo Di Palma” military airport belongs to the Italian State and is an Air Force base: here, a few kilometers from Etna, the 41st wing is stationed and is entrusted with running the base. The commander in chief is Colonel Stefano Spreafico.
Inside the Italian Air Force base there is then the second soul, the American one. Legally they are classified as “guests” and answer to the commander of the US Navy – the US navy – in charge of the Naval air station (NAS) Sigonella, who has exclusive authority only over personnel and vehicles of US origin.
Coexistence is regulated by the “Nato Sofa” treaty of 1951 and updated by the Bilateral Infrastructure Agreement (BIA) of 1995. US activity in the Italian base takes place within these legal boundaries: according to current regulations, the United States cannot launch offensive missions or direct support to wars outside the NATO defensive perimeter without a “Diplomatic clearance”, i.e. a specific authorization granted by the Italian government.
Air Force, United States, NATO: what’s in Sigonella
The Sigonella airport command ensures the necessary services for the safe and effective performance of military and civil flight activities for the two airports in eastern Sicily, Catania-Fontanarossa and Comiso. The military part is the responsibility of the 41st Anti-Submarine Wing: it is equipped with “P-72A” aircraft used for maritime surveillance, rescue, combating illicit trafficking and international terrorism.
The United States concentrates units of the US Navy, US Air Force and US Marine Corps here. Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions depart from the base where they are most useful to the Pentagon. The aprons of the so-called “Nas II” area host Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircraft (submarine hunters equipped with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles) and fleets of high-altitude drones: the US Navy’s Mq-4C Triton and the Rq-4 Global Hawk.
There are between 6,000 and 7,500 units stationed in Sigonella, including soldiers, civilian employees of the Department of Defense and families. The Italian military personnel instead stands at around a thousand units. American citizens conduct much of their routine in “NAS I”, an area located about 15 kilometers from the runways: a town on the base.
The complex houses government schools, a naval hospital, dedicated supermarkets and American retail chains that are inaccessible from the outside. There is also a dedicated guide: the 2026 version lists cinemas, bowling, fitness centers, bars, equipment rental and trips, typical US chains such as Subway, Taco Bell, Dunkin’ and Pizza Hut, as well as post office, bank and Credit Union.
The events calendar includes excursions to Etna, Lipari, pizza workshops, shuttles to Catania and activities for children.
The 1.5 billion euro NATO Global Hawk drones
On the NATO side, Sigonella is the base of the “Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance force”. The aerial surveillance missions under the Supreme Allied Command depart from here, thanks to the five Rq-4d Phoenix Global Hawks. NATO member countries have invested 1.5 billion dollars, plus tens of millions more for their maintenance.
With a wingspan of almost 40 metres, they are the eyes of the Atlantic Alliance: their high-resolution ground radar sensors are able to map movements on the ground up to 200 km away while flying at 18,000 meters altitude for around 30 hours of flight autonomy. In practice, a Global Hawk can take off from Sigonella, reach the Black Sea to monitor the war in Ukraine or the Syrian border, patrol for a whole day and return without having to refuel.
How Sigonella was used in the war in Iran
Sigonella is the daily base for missions related to the war in Iran. For example, in April 2026, tracks recorded repeated takeoffs of eastward-bound US Navy MQ-4C Triton drones. The site specializing in military Osint, ItaMilRadar, documented a specific flight of a Triton departing from Sigonella which remained in “loitering” – a patrol flight in a circle over a specific area – for about two hours off the coast of the Iranian city of Bushehr before returning to Sicily.
Another sortie was plotted over the Gulf on 16 April 2026. Also tracked from the site were Boeing P-8A Poseidons on anomalous missions from the lower Adriatic to low-altitude operations south of Cyprus, covering the Lebanese and Syrian flank. Indeed, a Triton that took off from Sigonella is missing: having left for a mission over the Persian Gulf, the signal was lost by civil radars and, to date, the aircraft does not appear to have returned to the Sicilian base. It may also have landed at an alternative base in the Middle Eastern quadrant.
Why the base is important for Trump: the “digs” at Meloni
On March 31, 2026, the Meloni government denied use of the base to US military aircraft headed to the Middle East. Palazzo Chigi and the Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, then explained that it was not a political rupture but rather the application of the current rules regulating the use of Sigonella by the United States.
In the Chamber on 7 April, Crosetto reiterated that the agreements “provide for some activities as legitimate and exclude others, which are only possible in the case of further authorisation”. The Minister of Defense then explained that the agreements authorize NATO operations and “logistical support, training, technical-operational cooperation” activities and that “to date, no request has been received relating to different scenarios outside this perimeter”. Therefore the government’s approval is always needed.
Because the Meloni government’s response to Trump on Sigonella is a half-hearted “no”.
In general, the base is of vital importance for the US strategic projection in the Mediterranean: in the US Navy’s own words it is defined as “The hub of the med”, the center of the Mediterranean. Even in past wars Sigonella was at the center of the White House’s war operations, such as the operations in Libya and the war in Afghanistan.
Donald Trump returned to the government’s refusal by writing on his social network Truth: “Italy was not there for us, we will not be there for them”. Attached to the post, an article from Guardian entitled “Italy denies the use of the base in Sicily to American planes carrying weapons for the war in Iran”. Responding to the journalist from Fox Maria Bartiromo explains that the relationship with Meloni and Italy is no longer the same: “Whoever refused their help in managing the situation with Iran, we no longer have the same relationship with that country. Just for your information: Italy receives large quantities of oil from the Strait.”