Vieques Panel Recommendations

[Pauline Simon <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

<------ Original Message Follows ------>
From: lsiegel@cpeo.org
Subject: Vieques Panel Recommendations

Earlier this week the Department of Defense released the report of the
Special Panel on Military Operations on Vieques. The report contains a
summary of the arguments for and against continued military training on
the island, as well as the following recommendations. For a full copy of
the report, go to:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Oct1999/viq_101899.html

RECOMMENDATIONS

    1.The Department of the Navy should immediately conduct a priority
assessment of the training requirements at Vieques with the objective of
ceasing all training activities at Vieques within five years. The Navy
should take necessary programming actions to ensure that adequate
resources are available to facilitate the identification and preparation
of alternative locations, to institute necessary changes in training
methods, and to provide for restoration and transfer to Puerto Rico of
the Eastern Maneuver Area. An assessment of progress toward this
objective should be provided to the Secretary of Defense not later than
October 1, 2002. 

    2.The Department of the Navy should take immediate steps to
discontinue the use of the Naval Ammunition Facility, take immediate
action to clean and restore the Naval Ammunition Facility and, in
coordination with the government of Puerto Rico, expeditiously return
the land to Puerto Rico. As recommended by the Governor of Puerto Rico’s
Special Commission, the return of the lands must be done in an orderly
manner under an established land management plan with protection of the
lands against illegal occupation. This recommendation includes Mosquito
Pier and land contiguous to the airport. The Navy should retain those
lands necessary for the safe operation of the Relocatable Over the
Horizon counter-narcotics Radar (ROTHR) transmitter at the Naval
Ammunition Facility, and for the safe operation of antennas on Mount
Pirata to control operations in the outer range. 

    3.The Department of the Navy should develop a plan and submit a
legislative proposal to expedite the disposal of excess Navy real
property on Vieques that would authorize the direct transfer of property
to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. In this regard, the transfer of the
110 acres of Navy land needed for the extension of the runway at the
Antonio Rivera airport should be executed as expeditiously as possible. 

    4.The Department of the Navy should begin immediately to implement
modifications to training methods such as those suggested in this report
to reduce the use of the live impact area to an irreducible minimum
during the transitional training period. Significant reductions in live
air-to-ground ordnance expenditures, sharply reduced Naval Surface Fire
Support activity, and a reduction in the total number of training days
should be directed. The Panel recommends that, effective immediately,
the Navy reduce the expenditure of live fire (bombs, naval gunfire, and
artillery) by 50 percent from 1998 activity levels, and reduce the
availability of the impact area from 365 days per year to 130 days per
year. 

    5.The Navy should immediately reestablish a flag officer position
and staff in Puerto Rico. The supporting staff should include
individuals with the training and experience necessary to address and
assist in the implementation of the approved recommendations of the
Panel. 

    6.A joint committee should be chartered to ensure that the concerns
of the local population and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico are fully
considered in the Navy’s conduct of military operations on Vieques
during the transition period, and that environmental protection and
economic development are forcefully promoted. The Panel believes that
the Navy flag officer and an official designated by the Governor of
Puerto Rico should co-chair the committee. 

    7.To ensure maximum effectiveness in the operations of the joint
committee, the Panel recommends that an Executive Order be drafted that
would provide Presidential direction and authority for executive
departments and agencies to provide assistance and resources as needed
in support of the operations and objectives of the joint committee. 

    8.The Navy should install noise monitoring equipment on the South
coast of Vieques near Esperanza and take necessary action to reduce
noise levels associated with naval gun muzzle blast by repositioning
Navy ships conducting Naval gunfire training. 

    9.The Panel recommends that, within 60 days of the release of its
report, that the Public Health Service, with the assistance of the
Department of Defense, and in coordination with other appropriate
Federal and local agencies, introduce a health team to Vieques to
address the incidence of cancer and other health concerns in the
population of Vieques and develop a plan of action to address these
concerns. 

   10.The Navy should take timely action to assist, within safety
constraints, the funding and coordination of an island-wide inspection
and review of possible archeological sites. 

   11.The Navy should undertake immediate actions to enhance range
safety. These actions should include: 

    a.Modification of the Western boundary of the Live Impact Area to
enhance recognition. 
    b.An easily distinguishable zigzag " firebreak" should be added, and
lighting compatible with night vision should be installed along the
entire length of the firebreak with co-located radar and infrared
reflectors. These improvements could make the boundary unmistakable to
aircrew and ship gunnery teams. 
    c.The observation post should also be equipped with improved visual
recognition features, including a checkerboard paint scheme, and
improved lighting. 
    d.Range procedures must be updated to remove any ambiguity that may
have contributed to the April 19 mishap.

-- 


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 222B View St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/968-1126
lsiegel@cpeo.org
http://www.cpeo.org


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