Italy has denied the United States the use of the Sigonella base for American fighter-bombers.
Our country prohibited the use of the Sicilian base to American aircraft heading to the Middle East for operations related to the war in Iran, in a decision made in recent days but only announced on March 31.
According to Corriere della Sera, Chief of Defense Staff Luciano Portolano informed Defense Minister Guido Crosetto of the situation, after some U.S. military assets had planned a stop at Sigonella without any prior consultation or authorization, communicating the plan when the aircraft were already in flight. The checks initiated by the Italian army ruled out that these were logistical flights, instead highlighting operations not covered by bilateral agreements.
In a statement, Palazzo Chigi explained that “Italy acts in compliance with current international agreements and the guidelines expressed by the government to the Chambers” and that every request is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, ruling out tensions with the United States. On this occasion, the statement from Rome reassured about relations with Washington, describing “solid relations based on full and loyal cooperation.”
Defense Minister Guido Crosetto himself also clarified that “the bases are active, in use, and nothing has changed” and that there is no cooling in relations with Washington, emphasizing how the rules governing the American presence in Italy are well known and must be applied respecting the established procedures.
All the details.
THE DENIAL OF THE USE OF THE SIGONELLA BASE
The refusal by Defense Minister Crosetto came when the flight plan of some U.S. air assets became known, which included landing at Sigonella before departing for the Middle East. However, no authorization had been requested nor had Italian military leaders been consulted. According to press reconstructions, the Defense Ministry received notification of the plan while the aircraft were already in flight. Furthermore, checks revealed that these were not normal or logistical flights and therefore were not covered by the treaty with our country.
THE PALAZZO CHIGI STATEMENT
First of all, “Italy acts in full compliance with current international agreements and the guidelines expressed by the Government to the Chambers,” Palazzo Chigi reiterated with a statement. “The Executive’s line is clear, consistent, and already fully shared with Parliament, without any changes. Every request is carefully examined, case by case, as has always been done in the past,” the statement clarified.
Regarding possible diplomatic implications, the executive’s statement specifies that “no critical issues or frictions with international partners are recorded,” emphasizing that “Relations with the United States, in particular, are solid and based on full and loyal cooperation.”
Therefore, the conclusion reads, “The Government will continue” to “operate within the framework of existing treaties, respecting the will of the Government and Parliament, while ensuring international reliability and full protection of interests.”
MINISTER CROSETTO’S POSITION
Finally, the position of Defense Minister Guido Crosetto also arrived during the day.
“Someone is trying to send the message that Italy has decided to suspend the use of bases to U.S. assets. This is simply false, because the bases are active, in use, and nothing has changed,” assured the Defense Minister, adding that “The Government continues to do what all Italian Governments have always done in full adherence to commitments made in Parliament and the line reiterated also in the Supreme Defense Council in continuity with all previous Councils, over the decades.”
In particular, Crosetto emphasized, “International agreements clearly regulate and distinguish what requires specific Government authorization (for which it has been decided to always involve Parliament), without which nothing can be granted, and what is instead considered technically authorized because included in the agreements.” Therefore, he concluded, “A minister must only enforce them. Tertium non datur.”
“Lastly, I want to reiterate that there is no cooling or tension with the U.S., because they know the rules that have governed their presence in Italy since 1954 as well as we do,” highlighted the Defense Minister.
THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT FOR THE USE OF MILITARY BASES
As General Leonardo Tricarico explained to Startmag, former Chief of Staff of the Air Force, “These are rules dating back to the 1950s; from these fundamental principles, regulations have been derived that have come to define in detail, base by base, what the norms should be, observed by the host countries, which is never sufficiently emphasized: host countries.”
“These are indeed Italian bases, granted for use, and those who use them are to be considered guests,” General Tricarico specified, reiterating that “There is a fundamental principle to which the rules conform – both those of the ’50s, the NATO SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) rule, and those derived – and that is that all activities carried out on these bases must be framed within the NATO context. Outside of this context, explicit authorization must always be requested from the Italian government.”
