[CPEO-MEF] Admiral Speaks Out On Vieques Site

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Admiral Speaks Out On Vieques Site 

Tuesday June 4, 2002 5:10 AM


PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) - In a departure from frequent claims about the 
unmatched advantages of Vieques Island, a Navy commander said Monday 
that moving live-fire exercises from Puerto Rico will in some ways 
improve Navy training. 

The Navy has been beset by protests against using Vieques since a 
civilian security guard was killed by an errant bomb in 1999. It since 
has stopped dropping live bombs and is scheduled to halt all weapons 
training there by next May. Training will instead be conducted in the 
Gulf of Mexico and the Southeast. 

``In some respects Vieques is a terrific range; in other respects it's 
not as good as what we have here,'' said Adm. Robert J. Natter, 
commander in chief of the Atlantic Fleet. 

This article can be viewed in its entirety at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-1781996,00.html

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