U.S. to Shut Base in Italy That Aids Nuclear Subs

ROME, Nov. 24 - The United States intends to close one of its two foreign naval bases that service nuclear submarines, a Navy spokesman confirmed Thursday.

The 33-year-old naval base at La Maddalena, off the coast of Sardinia, will close because of "military reshuffling," said the spokesman, Cmdr. Mark McDonald of the Sixth Fleet. "We're adjusting our forces to meet our current and future security needs," he said.

Italy's Defense Ministry announced the base closing earlier this week, after the defense minister, Antonio Martino, met with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld in Washington. Al report from the Defense Ministry on Tuesday said only nuclear submarines would leave the base. But on Wednesday, the announcement was revised to say that the entire base "will be transferred to another country."

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