The Navy is requesting permission for the installation and maintenance of mine training areas off Hawaii and Southern California.
The Navy is preparing to conduct an environmental review of its Pacific training operations around Hawaii and California and is soliciting public feedback until the end of January.
The service has an operating permit for what it calls the Hawaii-California Training and Testing Study Area that expires in 2025, and is required to submit an environmental impact statement as part of the renewal process. The Navy is moving forward at a time when the military considers the Pacific to be its top priority theater amid tensions with China.
Under the new permit, the Navy is requesting a “special use ” airspace in Southern California, an expansion of an underwater training range near San Clemente Island and the installation and maintenance of mine training areas off Hawaii and Southern California.
“The Proposed Action is needed to ensure U.S. military services are able to organize, train, and equip service members and personnel to meet their respective national defense missions in accordance with their Congressionally mandated requirements, ” the Navy said in a statement. “Proposed training and testing activities are similar to those analyzed in previous environmental impact analyses and are representative of activities that have been conducted off Hawaii and California for more…
