The aim of the base. (the biggest in Europe, influencing the whole Mediterranean area and the Middle East)
The aim of the base, as you can read consulting the web site of US FF.AA. is to establish, together with the other six existing bases within 5Km form Vicenza, the logistic and operative structure of the new Brigate Combat Team, which is going to replace the 173rd Brigata Aerotrasportata (air brigade). The aim is the creation of a brigade with 6 battalions, assembling those two already present in Vicenza (2600 soldiers) together with those four present in Germany (1700 soldiers), in order to face the needs of the Future Combat System. This plan of renovation for the US Army provides a net of modular units equipped with a very high technology acting for the "pre-emptive attack". This system provides to use the electronic war: bombs, land means and airplanes, all radio-controlled. As you can read in the web-site of the 173rd Brigade, the base in Vicenza is going to become the largest in the whole Europe and the only one on this side of the Alps, influencing the whole Mediterranean area and the Middle East.




Place and dimensions of the new base. (simply an enlargement of the present barracks Ederle?)
A trapezium, 1.500m long, 350m wide at south and 230 at north, running 135m from the eastern side of the Dal Molin airport track, for a total surface of 440.000 m2, (70 football fields). Inside the base, which is 2,5km far from the Basilica Palladiana (heart of the city) functioning as the last green lungs at North, 48 buildings will be built on a total surface of 79.000m2 (12 football fields), to which 230.000m2 of trampling area have to be added, for a total volume of 880.000m3.
Briefly, this is what media and institutions - and a few days ago, during the question-time also the Prime Minister himself -, have been presenting to the public as a "simple enlargement of the present barracks Ederle" "to offer lodgings for thousand soldiers".
The present data are the result of a meticulous survey by some technicians who checked all the 290 pages of the Plan approved by the Regional Joint Commission in March 2006 and filed at the Town Council (according to the agreements between Italy and USA, this document is always required for every work to be realized in a base under concession).





What's going to be inside the base? (a city in the city)
Inside the 48 buildings there will be, a part from two blocks used as troop lodgements (16% of the built area), the Brigade Headquarter, 4 Bataillon Control-quarters, 4 Operative-quarters, three Maintenance garages for the vehicles -for a total 10.000m2-, two parking buildings containing till 1700 cars and many different centres for education, training and storage. The base is completed by the Fitness Centre, the sporting area (gym-pool, swimming-pool etc), the supermarket, the restaurant/bar, the gas station, the planting centrals, the communication and transmission centre, the military police: a little city.


The environmental and ecological impact. (on the most important ground water-table, the forth biggest in Europe as its volume, feeding Vicenza, Padova and Rovigo)
On the town-planning point of view, as well as considering the sustainability and the exploited resources, the impact assessment is absolutely devastating.
The enquiries presented to the local city-controlled Company AIM, supported as a document by the Report of a Meeting between SETAF officials and AIM managers, consist in the supply of electrical energy and water corresponding to the quantity used respectively by 26.000 and 30.000 Vicenza citizens. The meteoric waters are not treated and are discharged directly into the river (Bacchiglione) which flows a few meters from the Base. If you just think about the parking area reserved for the army transport means, which is now under maintenance (7.000 m2), you can imagine the quantity of polluting components can be discharged directly into the river. Moreover, all the material falling on the soil will percolate directly into the most important water table, the forth biggest in Europe as its volume, feeding Vicenza, Padova and Rovigo.


The U.S.A. army plans for the future. (enlargements, restructurings, villages)
But this is just the first step: this is what will be completed within 2011.
Already on the international specific web-sites:
worldbiditaly.com
appel-d-offre.dgmarket.com
fbodaily.com/archive/2007/02-february/11-feb-2007
there are the offer enquiries, presented by ACA (Army Contracting Agency), for the Vicenza Master Plan 2020 announced by Sean McDonald, Manager of the Headquarter Installations in the European Region
www.equistiamo.org/PDF/PWD_JanFeb07_24-25.pdf
In particular there is an enquiry for engineering and architectural services for a long-term restructuring project for the USA Army in Vicenza. Checking some elements in the Dal-Moin project and considering the statement by some SETAF officials "at the moment we are just interested in these 1500 meters, in future everything can be supposed" among the future works there will be:
- the acquisition of the Western side of the airport, left by the air army in 2008,
- an army hospital,
- a school for 1000 guys,
- the restructuring in the uppest floor of one of the public hospital pavilions in Vicenza, including a rooftop heliport,
- the concession of estates to Sette Ca' and Torri di Quartesolo to build another two villages lodging the staff and their families,
- the concession both in Trentino and to the seaside to create holiday centres for their own staff.
A part from all that, we have to take into consideration also the enlargements and restructurings inside the Ederle army seat, the work in progress to restructure the bases in Longare, Fontega, Lerino.
Moreover, we know that our Army was required to concede and enlarge some areas as firing grounds.


VICENZA LAND OF WAR? (the Paragraph n. 11 of our Constitution is buried?)
All the above depends on the fact that Vicenza was chosen as the representative of that "Global War" mentioned in the Vicenza USAG (US Army Garrison Vicenza) web-site, allowing to defend the US interest in all over the world through, as said in the Government web-sites, "the total supremacy: persuasive in peace, decisive in war, superior in any kind of conflict".
And so, here is the progressive and constant military colonization of Vicenza that, in the idea of the Future Combat System, will become the hub on which the different bases of Aviano, Camp Darby, Sigonella etc. will depend.
The Italian Government guaranteed the creation on its territory of the most impressive offence force that USA have never marshalled to defend their own interests. And the Paragraph n. 11 of our constitution is now at peace.


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