LIVE fire training exercises on Farallon de Medinilla will start tomorrow, the U.S. Naval Forces Marianas and the CNMI Emergency Management Office said.
In an advisory, the Navy and EMO said the military exercises on Farallon de Medinilla will run from May 25 to 27, from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
The three-day exercises will take place from the surface to 5,000 ft. mean sea level on a 10-nautical mile radius on all quadrants.
Four U.S. military ships are also scheduled to arrive on Saipan starting tomorrow.
USS Chancellorsville’s eight-day port visit begins on Saturday. Three other military vessels—the MV Ltc. Calvin P. Titus, MV Sgt. William R. Button and MV 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez—will also dock here, according to the Navy.
The resumption of the military activities on Farallon de Medinilla came after the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. granted the Department of Defense’s motion to stay the 30-day preliminary injunction issued by a federal court on the live fire exercises.
EMO Director Rudolfo M. Pua said the Navy always notifies the CNMI government about any scheduled military exercises on Farallon de Medinilla.
Pua also reminded the public to stay away from Farallon de Medinilla during these military exercises.
“Due to the danger imposed by this activity, the general public, especially commercial pilots, fishermen and tour operators are advised to stay away from this location during the time and dates indicated,” EMO said.
On April 30, U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan ordered a 30-day halt to military bombing exercises on Farallon de Medinilla following a petition filed by the environmentalist group, Center for Biological Diversity, which had expressed concerns about the effects of the military exercises on the island’s marine life.
Farallon de Medinilla is the only U.S. live fire training range in the Western Pacific. It has been a training target for bombs, missiles and naval gunfire for more than 30 years now.
The CNMI government and the Saipan Chamber of Commerce said the military presence and port visits benefit the commonwealth economically.
In 1999 and 2000, the U.S. Navy infused some $8.9 million into the Saipan economy in direct vendor payments for services and personal spending by crew members, the Chamber said.
