Because of its location near the center of the Mediterranean Sea, NASSIG is well-placed to support operations by the U.S. 6th Fleet, other U.S. military units, and U.S. allies and coalition partners.

It is one of the most frequently used stops for U.S. airlift aircraft bound from the continental United States to Southwest Asia and the Indian Ocean.

The idea of a U.S. naval airbase on Sigonella arose in the early 1950s, when operations with U.S. Navy P2V Neptunes outgrew their base at Hal Far, Malta.

It was built on top of an airfield where damaged fighters and bombers of the German Air Force had once landed during the World War II.

The Army Corps of Engineers next used the building for their offices, later sharing it with Special Services, or what is now called Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR).

In 1983 the base was named after World War II pilot Captain Cosimo Di Palma (it), who was shot down by the Luftwaffe while on a mission with the Italian Co-belligerent Air Force and was honored with the Gold Medal of Military Valor.

The Italian authorities refused to allow the Navy SEALs to board the plane, threatening to open fire on the Americans had they attempted to do so.

[2] In late 1985, work crews belonging to NMCB 133 were repairing and installing sidewalks in the housing area at NAS I when they uncovered a small stockpile of Luftwaffe antiaircraft ammunition.

When NATO took military intervention in Libya in 2011, NAS Sigonella played an important role in US Operation Odyssey Dawn because of its short distance to the country.

According to the investigators, the criminal operation, which involved the siphoning of jet fuel from a pipeline connecting Augusta Bay with NAS Sigonella, had been ongoing for almost 3 years and caused approximately 800,000 Euros in damages.

[6] During the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, most of the base including recreational facilities, daycare programs, and the school were shut down to slow the spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus.

From 1987 to 2002, there was a base housing development Villaggio Costanzo which was located in the village of Santa Maria La Stella, in the comune of Aci Sant'Antonio, and approximately 60 minutes from NAS I.

The closest community to the base is Motta Sant'Anastasia, where many military personnel and their families live in rented accommodations on the economy.

Relations between the Americans and the local Italian nationals are cordial, despite some anti-American demonstrations outside the base protesting the Iraq War.

[11] In particular, the University of Maryland Global Campus – Europe (formerly the European Division)[12] offers a wide range of courses, depending on demand.