U.S. plans for Dal Molin altered, approved

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U.S. plans for Dal Molin altered, approved
By Kent Harris, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Wednesday, November 28, 2007

VICENZA, Italy — U.S. plans to base the bulk of the 173rd Airborne Brigade at an Italian airfield have received final approval from a joint civilian and military commission. In the process, that airfield might no longer exist.

The comipar (regional committee) of Veneto sent a favorable opinion of a site plan to the country’s Defense Ministry last week. That plan involves the use of the western part of the Dal Molin airfield, instead of the east as originally proposed. Part of the proposed construction site includes the existing airfield — so if any fixed-wing aircraft are to land at Dal Molin, someone will need to build a new runway.

That someone won’t be the U.S., according to officials attending a news conference Monday at Caserma Ederle. The U.S. won’t be bringing military jets or cargo planes to Dal Molin.

“We do not need the airfield for aircraft,” said Maj. Gen. Frank Helmick, commander of the Southern European Task Force (Airborne).

He said the U.S. decision to switch sites came as a result of local concerns and backing by the Italian government’s representative to negotiations on the project, Paolo Costa.

Costa, who also attended the news conference, said he believes that a majority of local residents support the project.


Rest of article at: http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=50564