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59-520: Aviano is home to the C.R.O. ( Centro di Riferimento Oncologico ), one of the main Italian cancer hospitals and research centres [1] . The Piancavallo ski resort is part of the municipality. Findings from Aviano show that the area has been populated since the Bronze Age. It became an agricultural area dependent on the municipality of Concordia Sagittaria . The name itself, Aviano, derives from

118-535: 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

177-455: A full view of the massive Air Operations Center map on the opposing wall. The AOC was the largest room in the complex. Its three-story map was used to plot minute-by-minute movements of friendly and unidentified aircraft. But the center was much more than just a tracking station, because it could also react to threats. They always knew the current operational status of air weapons in theater including missiles, and could dispatch armed response "at

236-465: A moment's notice". By the early 1960s, the manual plotting system used to track aircraft at the cave and elsewhere throughout West Germany was too slow and inaccurate for the quick responses necessary. Beginning in 1962, airmen trained in the new 412L air weapons control system began to arrive in Germany and at the cave. Over the next year, the new GE semi-automatic system was installed. When complete at

295-467: A period between 1968 and 1973, the 86th Wing , under various designations, has been the main operational and host unit at Ramstein Air Base. Throughout the 1950s, the 86th was primarily a Fighter-Bomber Wing. In 1960, it was realigned to an air defense mission and became the 86th Air Division (Defense). The 86th AD was inactivated in 1968. Returning as an F-4 Phantom II Tactical Fighter Wing in 1973,

354-474: A prediale name, that is, referring to land belonging to a landowner named Avilius or Avidius. In the early Middle Ages Aviano was made up of parish churches and villages in correspondence with today's hamlets. Around the 11th century, on a hill overlooking the surrounding plain, a castle was built by the Patriarchate of Aquileia and given to local feudal lords. The castle was besieged several times, during

413-627: Is a United States Air Force installation located in Rhineland-Palatinate , southwestern Germany . It serves as the headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) and NATO Allied Air Command (AIRCOM). The base plays a key role in supporting forward military operations, particularly those deploying to Eastern Europe and Africa . Constructed between 1949 and 1952 by

472-410: Is located near the town of Ramstein-Miesenbach , with the east gate about 16  km (10  mi ; 9  nmi ) from Kaiserslautern , commonly known as "K-Town" among Americans. Other nearby towns include Landstuhl , located 5 km (3 mi; 3 nmi) from the base's west gate. In 1940, construction of today's Bundesautobahn 6 was stopped when a bridge that was being built across

531-405: Is situated at 1,280 metres (4,199 ft) above sea level , at the foot of Monte Cavallo (2,251 m (7,385 ft)). The nearest railway station is that of Aviano , to which it is connected by regular bus services. Piancavallo was created in the late 1960s, and was the first Italian ski resort with snowmaking facilities. Since the 1980s it has hosted several women's alpine skiing events in

590-516: The 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing , based at Toul-Rosieres Air Base, France, and two of its squadrons, the 38th and 32d, equipped with the RF-4C Phantom II , were relocated to Ramstein on 5 October 1966. Assigned squadrons of the 26th TRW at Ramstein were: While at Ramstein, the 26th TRW acquired a number of other units with different flying missions. One function gained by the 26 TRW, almost immediately after arriving at Ramstein,

649-512: The 316th Air Division was activated, centralizing command authority at Ramstein. The 86 TFW became the division's flight operations arm, while the newly formed 377th Combat Support Wing , also activated in 1985, became responsible for the logistical and administrative support on base, replacing the 86th and 7030 Combat Support Wings. On 28 August 1988, Ramstein Air Base was the site of the tragic Ramstein airshow disaster , which killed 72 spectators and three pilots, and injured hundreds. After

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708-425: The 322nd Airlift Division that arrived on 23 June 1978, and SAC 's 7th Air Division that arrived on 1 July 1978. In December 1980, HQ Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force was moved from Ramstein to Heidelberg and co-located with HQ Central Army Group. In 1984, an enlisted airman (Sgt Darrel Dietlein), assigned to the 1964th Communications Group , solicited National Headquarters Civil Air Patrol to charter

767-853: The Austrian Empire ( Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia ) before being annexed to the Kingdom of Italy in 1866 as a consequence of the Third War of Italian Independence , itself a part of the Prussian-Austrian War . In 1911 one of the first airfields of the Italian Air Force was built in Aviano, which in the following years was enlarged and became increasingly important until it became the NATO Aviano AB base in

826-565: The Cold War , the 86th was realigned to become the 86th Airlift Wing . On 1 July 1993, the 55th Aeromedical Airlift Squadron moved from the 435th   AW at Rhein-Main Air Base Germany to Ramstein. On 1 October, the 75th and 76th Airlift Squadron arrived at Ramstein from the 60th AW at Travis Air Force Base California, and 437th   AW at Charleston AFB South Carolina , respectively. A year later on 1 October 1994,

885-538: The Rhine River near Mannheim collapsed, leaving a section of autobahn that could not be used. A part of the unused autobahn to the west of Mannheim, near Kaiserslautern , was used as an airstrip by the Luftwaffe . The airstrip was also used by the advancing U.S. Army Air Forces during the final months of World War   II. The old autobahn section is still used as the access road to the east and west gates of

944-669: The Venetian Republic , like the rest of the territory of the Patriarchate of Aquileia. In 1477 and 1499 Aviano and the surrounding villages were devastated by raids of Ottoman troops in which a large part of the population was killed or taken prisoner. With the fall of the Venetian Republic, Aviano followed the fate of the rest of Friuli and Veneto, and was part of the Napoleonic Empire and then

1003-647: The World Cup , and a stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race. There are 24 km (15 mi) of alpine ski runs and 26 km (16 mi) of cross-country ski trails, 1.2 km (0.75 mi) of which are illuminated. There is an Ice Palace for hockey and ice skating, a roller coaster in the snow, a snow park for children, Nevelandia with inflatable castles and snowtubing. Ramstein AB Ramstein Air Base ( IATA : RMS , ICAO : ETAR )

1062-646: The 14th century first by the Da Camino and then by the Carraresi, and in 1411 it was conquered by the Hungarian troops of Emperor Sigismund . Most historians believe that a commercial center developed where present day Aviano is situated, with a cultural and defensive center in the castle area. Aviano was a possession of the Patriarchal State of Friuli until 1420, when it came under the influence of

1121-598: The 1950s. At the end of the sixties the mountain area of Piancavallo became a ski and winter sports resort. Although the village is located at the foot of the Dolomites , the municipality extends to an altitude of 2,251 metres (7,385 feet) above sea level (Cimon del Cavallo peak). Aviano is served by a station on the Sacile-Pinzano Railway : the Aviano railway station . The Sacile-Pinzano line connects

1180-570: The 1980s, and the two Combat Support units were merged into the 377th Combat Support Wing. There is still a north and south side Fitness Centers . The current northside Community Center before housed the WAF NCO Club. As well, there were two Movie Theaters on the North side and two on the South side. Currently, only two still stand on the north side: a remodeled Nightingale Theater (known before as

1239-630: The 1st Canadian Air Group, 1st and 2nd Divisions of the West German Air Force , and units of the USAFE's 3rd and 17th Air Force. HQ USAFE fully completed its move from Wiesbaden to Ramstein in early 1991. With USAFE's arrival in 1973, Ramstein entered a period of expansion. The duel commander of the 316th AD / 86 TFW became host commander of Americans living in the Kaiserslautern Military Community instead of

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1298-408: The 37th   Airlift Squadron was transferred to Ramstein from Rhein-Main. In 1999, the activation of the 86th Contingency Response Group brought the airfield and aerial port operations and provision of force protection at contingency airfields mission to the wing. On 24 May 2004, the 38th Combat Support Wing was activated to enhance support to USAFE geographically separated units. This wing

1357-400: The 630th Military Airlift Support Squadron from Rhein-Main Air Base was assigned to Ramstein and a large cargo aerial port constructed. This allowed Military Airlift Command C-141 and C-5 Galaxy aircraft to use Ramstein as a transshipment point for material, which was then moved within USAFE by C-130 tactical transports. In the spring of 1972, the 7th Special Operations Squadron (SOS)

1416-611: The 86th TFW performed that mission until 1994, deploying components to the Middle East during the 1990 Gulf War . On 14 August 1976, the Strategic Air Command 306th Strategic Wing was activated at Ramstein with a KC-135 air refueling and an RC-135 reconnaissance mission. The 306th also functioned as the focal point for all SAC operations in Europe and as liaison between SAC and USAFE. The wing moved to RAF Mildenhall , England on 1 July 1978. In June 1985,

1475-639: The European Encampments along with their traditional military studies, cadet programs and aerospace education efforts. The Ramstein Cadet Squadron commander as of February 2022 is 1st Lt Cody Chenowith. The squadron is the central hub for all CAP units in Europe. Membership as of April 2024 was 55 members. In the subsequent years, a companion cadet squadron was formed at Spangdahlem Air Base. Distance learning cadets are located at SHAPE, Belgium and Hohenfels, Germany. Additionally,

1534-879: The Four Corners Theater) on the corner across from the Base gas Station, and the north side AAFES dry cleaners that was known as the Ramstein Rocket Theater. Near the Ramstein Air Base is the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC), operated by the United States Army . Although part of the Kaiserslautern Military Community, LRMC has a separate history and was never a part of Ramstein or Landstuhl Air Bases, although both facilities have utilized

1593-630: The French Army and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , Ramstein Air Base is part of the larger Kaiserslautern Military Community (KMC), which houses around 54,000 American service members and over 5,400 U.S. civilian employees. Additionally, more than 6,200 German workers are employed within the KMC. Air Force units in the KMC employ nearly 9,800 military personnel, supported by approximately 11,100 family members. Ramstein AB alone hosts over 16,200 military personnel, U.S. civilians, and contractors. The base

1652-424: 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

1711-641: The Kindsbach Cave had become too small and its cost for renovation too high. The USAFE vacated the facility and, on 31 October 1993, control was returned to the German government and the German government returned the facility to the original owner of the land. Today, the Kindsbach Cave is private property, through tours of the cave can be arranged. The cave is overgrown by vegetation, trees, and new housing. The new 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing stood up on 4 September 2008. As of June 2020 ,

1770-524: The Landstuhl spur in 1948, by agreement of the U.S. and French Occupational Forces. Trainloads of earth were moved over the line and spread over the base's current area to raise it to its current level. Once the ground was level, construction work began. Two bases were laid out. Landstuhl Air Base on the south side and Ramstein Air Station (station, no airstrip) on the north. From 1948 to the opening of

1829-619: The Ramstein Cadet Squadron is the second oldest and continuous operating unit on the installation and even predating the 86th Air Wing. Today, the base is home to the Allied Air Command , which is responsible to Joint Force Command Brunssum , the only and main NATO command unit on Ramstein AB. Close to Ramstein was the site of Air Defense Operations Center (ADOC)  —  Kindsbach , AKA 'Kindsbach Cave' –

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1888-567: The Soviet Union. The center had a digital computer to work out bombing problems, cryptographic equipment for coded message traffic and its own photo lab to develop reconnaissance photos. Responsible for an air space extending deep behind the Iron Curtain , the center interacted directly with The Pentagon , NATO, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe and all USAFE bases. With its massive telephone switchboard and 80 teletype machines,

1947-638: The US Army 21st Commanding General. The Wiesbaden USAF Community was then traded to the US Army Control as for an even Kaiserlautern switch. The KMC from the 1950s to the early 1990s had an average population of Americans of 110,000, outnumbering those Germans in the City of Kaiserslautern for that period. Allied Air Forces Central Europe was established at Ramstein on 28 June 1974. Ramstein subsequently provided support for other headquarters including

2006-535: The West German government continued construction of the A6 autobahn from Kaiserslautern to Saarbrücken, the autobahn cut off access at the south of the base which is where the main gate was in the city limit of Landstuhl. The main gate was moved to the west side of the base which was in the town of Ramstein. The two bases were joined and the current Kisling Memorial Drive cut off to the public which made one base. In 1961,

2065-630: The base and the A6 was rebuilt south of the air base after the war. During the initial postwar era, the USAAF repaired several former Luftwaffe airfields in Bavaria , part of the American occupation zone of Germany. The area was a swamp that had to be built up by two metres (six feet) A train line was laid out from Einsiedlerhof-Kaiserslautern in a yoke shape around to the current base and back down to

2124-491: The base was officially named "Ramstein Air Base." One legacy of the two separate air bases is that the north side of Ramstein retained a separate APO from the south side. The north side (Ramstein AB) is APO   AE   09012, while the south side (Landstuhl   AB) is APO   AE   09009. Also separate Combat Support Groups, the 7030th for the north side, and the 86th for the south side existed. These were consolidated in

2183-559: The bases in 1953, it was the largest one spot construction site in Europe employing over 270,000 workers at one time. Enough construction was completed in mid-1952 that Landstuhl   AB was opened on 5 August. Its facilities included a runway, dispersal hardstands, a control tower , ramps, and other flight-related facilities and the associated flying and support units. On 1 February 1952, Det   1, 86th Fighter-Bomber Wing arrived at Landstuhl   AB from Neubiberg Air Base near Munich . On 1 June 1953, Ramstein Air Station

2242-401: The cave was plugged into everything in the outside world. The center was receiving more than 1,000 calls a day. As a further measure of protection, the cave was fully self-contained with its own water supply , electric backup-generators, climate controls , dining facilities and sleeping accommodations for its 125-man crew. Visitor passes were rarely issued to this secret facility. Throughout

2301-410: The cave, the current air picture over East and West Germanies, as well as parts of the eastern Soviet bloc countries, was displayed on a 12-by-12-metre (40 ft × 40 ft) screen with radar information provided by various 412L sites located throughout West Germany. Senior U.S. staff monitored the dynamic display 24/7 . Over the next several years, additional 412L sites throughout Germany joined

2360-403: The commander of the 521st AMOW is Colonel Adrienne Williams. In December 2023 a new Space Force component stands up at Ramstein Air Base. On 7 March 1966, French President Charles de Gaulle announced that France would withdraw from NATO's integrated military structure. The United States was informed that it must remove its military forces from France by 1 April 1967. As a result,

2419-681: The current Ramstein AB Clinic along with Dental Clinic facilities for the whole KMC. In turn, the East Gate to Ramstein   AB will be extended from its current location to just off the Autobahn 6 Einsiedlerhof exit to the base at what is known as the Elvis Gate. From 2004 to 2006, Ramstein Air Base underwent an extensive expansion with a major construction project – including an all-new airport terminal , among other new facilities, through

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2478-682: The expected move of HQ   USAFE to Ramstein. This entire operation, code-named "Creek Action", was carried out as part of the USAF's new worldwide policy of locating the most vital headquarters in thinly populated rural areas rather than near cities. Later, HQ USAFE was moved, due to the fact that US Intelligence found that the Soviets had plans to invade Western Europe through the Fulda Gap in West Germany. The military thought to move vital HQs on

2537-490: The first "Cadet Squadron" in West Germany, naming the unit "Ramstein Cadet Squadron" and becoming the unit's first commander as a CAP First Lieutenant. The Ramstein Cadet Squadron was formed with Captain Mark Bailey serving as the unit's first liaison officer, as well as other like minded military volunteers and roughly six cadets. To this day, the squadron enjoys vibrant member participation, as well as base support, hosting

2596-537: The first time in over 50 years. The base currently performs a NATO mission with close coordination with Italian personnel. Aviano is twinned with: Piancavallo Piancavallo ( Friulian : Plancjaval ) is a ski resort in the Dolomites of northern Italy . It is a frazione of the comune of Aviano , in the province of Pordenone in Friuli-Venezia Giulia . Piancavallo

2655-405: The medical facilities at LRMC, since they were established in 1953. Currently there are plans on the drawing board from the U.S. Department of Defense to build a new Medical Center on the current U.S. Army Weilerbach Storage Installation just to the east of Ramstein   AB. Construction is to be completed in and around 2024.. It will be a twelve-story facility to house all departments of LRMC and

2714-450: The network, until the manual system had been totally replaced. In April 2015, Ramstein Air Base was reported by German and international media as an important control center in the drone war staged under the Obama administration against targets in areas like Pakistan , Yemen , Afghanistan and Somalia . The German government claimed not to have been informed about this function of

2773-594: The other side of the Rhein River for protection. As a result of this policy change, Ramstein air base became a large multi-national NATO center: in addition to the USAFE's headquarters, it also housed the new NATO headquarters of the Allied Air Forces Central Europe (AAFCE). The AAFCE also commanded the 2nd Allied Tactical Air Force (2ATAF) and the 4th ATAF. The 4th ATAF, which had been headquartered at Ramstein for many years, included

2832-463: The site of Europe's underground combat operations center. The facility was located in a former German western front command headquarters. The French took control of the underground bunker after World War II, and USAFE assumed control in 1953. After major renovations, USAFE opened the center on 15 August 1954. The center was a state-of-the-art, 67-room, 3,400-square-metre (37,000 sq ft) facility where USAFE could have led an air war against

2891-411: The site of NATO's underground combat operations center. The 86th Air Base Group was activated as the main base support unit for Landstuhl while the 7030th HQ Support Group was the main base support unit for Ramstein. On 1 December 1957, the two bases were consolidated into the largest NATO-controlled air base in service on the continent . It was called "Ramstein–Landstuhl Air Base", but later, after

2950-693: The so-called Rhein-Main Transition Program which was initiated in support of the total closure of Rhein-Main Air Base on 30 December 2005 and transferring all its former capacities to Ramstein Air Base (70%) and Spangdahlem Air Base (30%). Ramstein served as temporary housing for the United States men's national soccer team during the 2006   World Cup . Source: Fletcher, Air Force Bases, Volume II Source: Fletcher, Air Force Bases, Volume II Reassigned from Neubiberg Air Base , West Germany in 1952 and except for

3009-522: The town of Sacile , on the Venice-Udine railway , to the village of Pinzano , on the Gemona del Friuli -Pinzano line. As of today, the service is limited from Sacile to Maniago . Aviano Air Base was established by Italy in 1911. The base was among the first ones available to Italian aviation. There has been an American presence at Aviano Air Base since the end of World War II . In 1954

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3068-553: The years, leadership changed but USAFE led the operations through numbered Air Forces. The center's commander was the USAFE Advanced Echelon. The glassed-in office was on the top floor of the three-story underground command center. Directly under the office was the management for offensive air operations. And the bottom floor office was the management for defensive air operations – to include support for U.S. Army forces and West German Civil Defense. All three offices had

3127-484: Was activated on Ramstein Air Base, having moved from its joint facilities with HQ USAFE at Wiesbaden AB . What was not generally known at the time and not made public until after the end of the Cold War in 1993, was the desire to have HQ   Twelfth Air Force in close proximity to the Air Defense Operations Center (ADOC)  —  Kindsbach, a.k.a. 'Kindsbach Cave'  — 

3186-480: Was assigned flying C-130Es, C-47As, and UH-1Ns. Because of the special operations mission of the 7 SOS, it reported directly to HQ USAFE for operational control. As part of operation "Creek Action", a command-wide effort to realign functions and streamline operations, HQ USAFE transferred the 26th TRW from Ramstein to Zweibrücken Air Base and the 86th Tactical Fighter Wing was reassigned from Zweibrücken to Ramstein on 31 January 1973. From its inception, Ramstein

3245-423: Was designed as a NATO command base. In 1957, Ramstein provided support for NATO's HQ Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force , which moved to Ramstein from Trier Air Base on 10 November 1957 upon the closure of that facility. Also on that date, HQ Twelfth Air Force was transferred to Bergstrom Air Force Base , Texas, and was assigned to Tactical Air Command . It was replaced by HQ Seventeenth Air Force (USAFE) which

3304-505: Was inactivated in 2007. The 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing was activated on 4 September 2008. The wing is the headquarters for the existing 721st Air Mobility Operations Group at Ramstein and the 521st AMOG at Naval Station Rota, Spain . The 521st AMOW provides an enhanced level of control for the AMC route structure in Europe, which includes critical locations for getting people, cargo and patients to and from current war zones. By 1984,

3363-650: Was moved from North Africa. In turn, the 17th AF was replaced by its mother unit HQ USAFE from Lindsey Air Station, Wiesbaden, West Germany in 1973. The HQ 17th AF was moved to Sembach AB at that time and controlled all USAF Air Divisions and Wings north of the Alps, with the exception of the British Isles and Scandinavia, which were controlled by HQ 3rd AF at Mildenhall. On 31 January 1973, several headquarters were relocated into and out of Ramstein, when Seventeenth   AF moved to Sembach Air Base to make room for

3422-552: Was opened. Ramstein was the location of headquarters, Twelfth Air Force, and supported family housing, base exchange, commissary, dependents' schools and other administrative offices for the WAFs (Women's Air Force). The barracks that were built at Ramstein AS were used to house WAFs and single women that worked as U.S. Government employees at both Ramstein   AS and Landstuhl   AB. On 27 April 1953, Headquarters, Twelfth Air Force

3481-511: Was the maintenance and flying of the HQ USAFE liaison aircraft. In addition, the Wing was responsible for flying members of the HQ USAFE staff to Air Force and NATO bases throughout Europe. In addition, the 26th TRW was only designated as a flight, because of its small size. It consisted of a mixture of aircraft, including: T-29s, T-33s, T-39s, C-54s, O-2s, H-19s, and UH-1s. In 1971 a detachment of

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