The Naval Air Station Sigonella Air Operations Department is like a well-oiled machine, comprised of several, integral parts that keep it running well and efficiently.

The shops and personnel - Sailors, local nationals and contractors - who comprise Air Operations, each play a vital role in keeping the base fully operational and on target with the mission.

"The mission of the Air Operations Department is to support 5th and 6th Fleet operations, as well as the Mediterranean, with PAX and cargo movement, and anything occurring in the region," said Lt. Odarious Chambers, Air-Traffic Control department head.

Each division within the Operations Department has their own specific responsibilities, in addition to the overall mission.

"For Air-Traffic Control, our focus is the safe launch and recovery of aircraft on the airfield in support of our missions," said Chambers. "Our job is to follow flight plans, so that when planes go out on missions they know the best routes to take in accordance with country codes or clearances."

Air Traffic Controller 1st Class Carlos Perez is the leading petty officer at Air Traffic Control, which is manned 24 hours a day in support of the mission.

"Air Traffic Control's operations consist of daily briefings called Notice to Airmen to see what's going on, how many aircraft will be flying that day, determining when aircraft will be available for training, coordinating personnel to work directly on/with airplanes, and communicating with aircraft," said Perez.

Chambers said, "Air Operations gets our tasking from Commander, Task Force 63 in Naples, and they task our C-26 aircraft to transport either parts or people to and from Naples, Souda Bay, Rota -- basically anywhere in the region -- to get aircraft or personnel to ships that are transient in and out of the Mediterranean. Our airfield is a launch pad for aircraft going down-range to Africa or back and forth."

The Transient Line (T-Line) Division works to get the aircraft in position on the airfield and oversees airfield traffic and flow.

"On a daily basis, we taxi and park aircraft," said Aviation Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Gabriel Ochoa. "Algese (local national workers and contractors) does most of the logistics. We house transient NATO squadrons that come through and we also provide customer service."

The T-Line Division works hand-in-hand with the local nationals on base to keep daily operations up and running. Daily operations consist of ramp checks and light checks, flight checks, and safety protocol to make sure that everything is in working order.

"We assist with incoming aircraft and we also lend our support to the U.S. Marines with their missions as well," explained Ochoa.

"Our airport is in the best position in the region as far as accessibility and we are also the only naval air station in the region. We are the central point in reporting information up to Naples headquarters and we get a lot of information from the other departments such as Security," said Chambers.

Air Operations is also in charge of Port Operations, which manages all ship movements, including NATO ships pulling into Augusta Bay. They get the message from CTF-63 of ships going in and out.

From T-Line, Air Traffic Control, Ground Electronics, Port Operations and more, the Air Operations Department encompasses hard work and teamwork to keep NAS Sigonella on track with our base mission.

Naval Air Station Sigonella, "The Hub of the Med," is a U.S. Navy installation and an Italian Air Force base in Sicily, Italy. NAS Sigonella is the Navy's second largest security command, second only to that located at Naval Support Activity Bahrain. 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.

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