Direct Line

NAMRU-3 Commanding Officer Capt. Marshall Monteville

Buongiorno from Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3 (NAMRU-3)! Our headquarters are now officially onboard Naval Air Station Sigonella. As The Beatles say, “it was a long and winding road,” but NAMRU-3 is thrilled to be part of the NASSIG family. We are temporarily located in Building 318, but are working with the base to renovate the space that we will eventually call home in Building 303. I, along with the entire NAMRU-3 team, are excited to be here and are grateful for all the support that we have received from the base and our fellow tenant commands. We look forward to being a valuable member of the wonderful community that is NASSIG.

Being stationed in Europe, and specifically Italy, has been a dream, and my wife, Kay, and I are ecstatic to finally have this opportunity. While I’m not complaining, as a Navy brat I only got to see Groton, CT and Honolulu, HI. My dad was a Chief, then an officer, onboard submarines. I am hopeful that my son, Ensign Monteville, might get the chance to be stationed here and enjoy the beauty and culture that we enjoy- as he is currently in aviation training in Pensacola, FL.

I am exceptionally fortunate to have NAMRU-3 as my third command tour in twenty-six years with the Navy. My previous CO tours are NAMRU-2 in Singapore with a detachment in Cambodia (2014-2017) and Naval Health Research Center located onboard Naval Base Point Loma in sunny San Diego (2017-2019).

I am a Medical Service Corps Microbiologist and it is great to return to focusing on detecting, deterring and responding to infectious disease threats that can impact warfighter readiness and performance. We take this mission very seriously as disease has historically taken a bigger toll on military personnel during times of war than casualties or deaths from active combat. While this trend has reversed due to advances in medicine, the continued threat of new and emerging disease dictates that we remain vigilant.

NAMRU-3 has been around since 1942 when it was established in Cairo, Egypt as the “Typhus Commission.” The mission of the command was important enough to both Egypt and the US that it was the only US organization to remain active between 1967 and 1973, when tensions were such that the US and Egyptian relations completely broke down.

My first encounter with NAMRU-3 was in 2003 when I was stationed in Cairo as a staff scientists heading up the Virology Program. Yes, that was me combatting avian influenza (bird flu) as it spread from Asia to the Middle East and then down into Africa. At that time, NAMRU-3 had one of only three US World Health Organization Influenza Reference Centers, with the others being at the Centers for Disease Control and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. That was pretty good company to be in back in the day. While we will not be establishing a laboratory in Italy, we have active laboratory detachments in Egypt, Ghana and Djibouti.

Let me close by once again thanking base leadership for welcoming us into the NAS Sigonella family. As we rebuild our command structure following an unprecedented closure of our long standing headquarters in Cairo, as well as a greater than 90% staff turnover this past summer, we strive to maintain our historical reputation of quality research with a future of excellence in protecting US and allied warfighters. Rest well knowing the Navy Medicine Research and Development Enterprise, of which we are a part of, is actively out there collaborating with partner nations around the world to keep you safe.