The US Army has opened a storage facility at Aviano Air Base, Italy, to support paratrooper operations across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
The $4.5-million warehouse encompasses more than 13,450 square feet (1,250 square meters) of space and will be managed by the 173rd Airborne Brigade based in the northeastern city of Vicenza.
Work at the warehouse will aid contingency and deterrence deployments led by the US European Command, the North-West African Response Force, and the Southern European Task Force, Africa.
The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Europe District directed the center’s construction from the fall of 2022 until the spring of 2024.
USACE completed the hub in partnership with the US Army Garrison Italy, the US Air Force, and local Italian design and builders.
The Aviano Paratrooper Warehouse
The US Army’s Aviano warehouse was conceptualized in the 1990s by US European Command & Supreme Allied Commander-Europe Gen. Christopher Cavoli, who observed logistical challenges while serving as a lieutenant for a 1,100 paratrooper unit in Vicenza bound for Northern Iraq.
“This work you do here, that’s represented by this building, is a great example of people stepping up and fulfilling the expectations that populations have for us to provide for their defense,” Cavioli remarked.
The facility will optimize response times and offer more strategic options in terms of inspection, loading, and distribution of paratroopers across covered locations.
It will eventually become a “crucial hub for the rapid outload of equipment” that will enhance interoperability with the US Air Force on future missions.
“When we started, this was a parking lot, a blank space of land,” USACE Italy Projects Resident Engineer Evan Taylor stated.
“In the matter of a year and a half we were able to construct a fully functional warehouse that can help support the troops in fulfilling their mission.”