[CPEO-MEF] Vieques: Is It Needed by the Navy?

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

Vieques: Is It Needed by the Navy?

By Vice-Admiral John Shanahan (ret) and John Lindsay-Poland

The Navy's need to use the populated island of Vieques, Puerto Rico is a 
disputed issue.

The Navy leadership has declared repeatedly that Vieques is 
irreplaceable for training U.S. naval forces. Vieques is absolutely 
critical to the readiness, training, and preparation of our forces prior 
to their deployment overseas, Vice-Admiral William Fallon told a 
Congressional hearing in 1999. It is the premier U.S. Naval training 
facility, reflecting more than 50 years of investment and development, 
and the only place available to East Coast based forces for training in 
several warfare competencies which are essential combat readiness; most 
importantly live ordnance combined arms training, concluded a 1999 study 
by Admiral Fallon and General Peter Pace. 

Yet many people, including civilians and uniformed officers inside the 
Navy, do not agree. In 2001, Navy Secretary Gordon England did an abrupt 
about-face, and declared that training on Vieques can and will be 
conducted at other sites. Some Congressional observers expressed 
skepticism at the secretarys position, implying that it was taken for 
political or electoral reasons. At this writing, no executive order or 
legislation requires the Navy to leave Vieques. Other sources address 
the environmental, health, civil rights, sovereignty, and international 
political aspects of the Vieques-Navy conflict. This issue briefly 
examines whether Vieques is needed by the Navy for military reasons 
within the premises of U.S. foreign policy. 

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.forusa.org/programs/puertorico/ViequesUpdate0202.html