Troops troubleshoot an on-base network outage in Swanton, Ohio, on April 23, 2026. A network outage has interrupted services in Vicenza, Italy, where U.S. Army Garrison Italy is headquartered. (Beth Holliker/U.S Air Force)
VICENZA, Italy — A network outage that prompted the temporary relocation of the U.S. Army Garrison Italy’s motor vehicle registration office is not expected to hamper the two-day celebration of the United States’ 250th birthday later this week.
The outage also forced the temporary closure of some supply warehouses, including the central issue facility, at a site near Caserma Ederle in Vicenza. It began Monday morning and was expected to last until Thursday.
Some commenters on an initial garrison Facebook post about the issue had voiced concerns that a closure could cause problems for incoming service members during permanent change of station season and others whose registrations may be expiring soon.
Hours later, the garrison said the motor vehicle registration office would temporarily move to the Provost Marshal Office building on Caserma Ederle from Tuesday until the network is repaired.
“Priority of support is currently scheduled appointments and missed appointments from Monday,” the garrison said in a Facebook post. “Expect significant delays for walk-in services.”
Soldiers prepare communication cables for intallation in this undated photo. A network outage has interrupted services at Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy, where U.S. Army Garrison Italy is headquartered. (Charles Stefan/U.S. Army)
The outage did not affect a vehicle inspection point, the garrison said in comments on the original post.
The network hiccup comes as the motor vehicle registration office has struggled to keep up with customer demand in recent weeks because of a staffing shortage. It was helping about 70 customers a day even with the smaller staff, officials said in June.
In a June 18 video shared on the garrison’s social media accounts, garrison commander Col. Vaughn Strong visited the office and assured the community that the delays were being addressed.
“We’ve heard your concerns about long wait times, and we know your time is too valuable to spend standing in line,” Strong said.
The garrison was working to open more appointment slots in its online scheduling system, he said in the video. The garrison had also added support staff to address the staffing issue, said text posted with the video.
As the garrison works to resolve the outage, hundreds of military and civilian personnel and their guests are expected to attend Independence Day festivities at Caserma Ederle’s track Wednesday and Thursday, beginning at 5 p.m. each day.
Along with carnival rides and food trucks, Wednesday’s lineup will include a battle of the bands. Thursday’s slate will feature a live performance by musician Breland, whose 2019 single “My Truck” melded country and hip-hop to become a breakout hit.
Breland is in Europe as part of Armed Forces Entertainment’s annual Heat Wave series and will perform Friday at Aviano Air Base, Italy, and Saturday in Baumholder, Germany.
The celebrations at Caserma Ederle, which will also feature a rock band made up of base personnel, will culminate Thursday with a fireworks show.
