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Before the U.S. Air Force, Aviano Air Base was established by Italy in 1911. The base is considered the birthplace of Italian aviation. There has been an American presence at Aviano Air Base since the end of World War II. In 1954 the Italian and American governments signed a joint use agreement and by 1955, HQ United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) had moved its Italian operations from Udine to Aviano. The base went through a period of hosting rotational fighter squadrons. With the declining use of the Italian live fire range, the rotational squadrons became a thing of the past. Aviano became a war reserve material storage base and played a big part in Desert Storm. In 1992, HQ 16th Air Force and the 401st Fighter Wing moved from Torrejon Air Base, Spain to Aviano. The Wing became home to two F-16 fighter squadrons, the 510th FS and the 555th FS. 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. The base currently performs a NATO mission with close coordination with Italian personnel.

Aviano AB, Italy is located at the base of the Dolomiti Alps South of the Alps in Northeastern Italy overlooking 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, and Bibione). The closest large city to Aviano is Pordenone, which is about 15 minutes away. Aviano 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.

Aviano has been inhabited only since the 10th century CE, evidence of a human presence dates to before the Romans entered the area in 186 BC. Most historians believe that Aviano developed with a commercial center located where present day Aviano is situated and a cultural and defensive center in the castle area. Aviano was a possession of the Patriarchate of Aquileia until 1420, when it came under the influence of the Venetian Republic. Aviano became a part of the Italian State in 1866.

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 31st Fighter Wing is home to two F-16 fighter squadrons, the 510th FS and the 555th FS. 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. Additional sites attached to the 31st Fighter Wing include Ghedi-Torre and Camp Darby, Italy; Araxos, Greece; and Moron Air Base, Spain.

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Serving to welcome both newcomers and current American and/or NATO residents to the Aviano Air Base community 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 or Better Life International.

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