— by Lin McNulty —
Photo: Tacoma News Tribune
On Monday, January 11, Truthout.org posted an exclusive story, entitled “Navy Uses US Citizens as Pawns in Domestic War Games,” detailing the Navy’s plans to conduct combat training on Washington state’s Puget Sound shores.
Truthout’s story begins:
Beginning in mid-January, Navy SEALs will be practicing unannounced and clandestine combat beach landings across Washington State’s Puget Sound and many other coastal areas of that state.
The simulated combat exercises, which will include the use of mini-submarines and other landing craft, will deposit Navy SEALs carrying “simulated weapons” on 68 beach and state park areas in Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Washington’s west coast, unbeknownst to most of the relevant government agencies tasked with overseeing these areas.
Internal Navy emails, two slide shows (which can be viewed in full here and here) and other documents obtained exclusively by Truthout reveal the vast extent of the operations. They also reveal the fact that the Navy labeled the relevant files as “For Official Use Only” and emails as “Attorney-Client privilege,” a move that exempts such documents from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Following a tip from an alert and concerned Orcas Issues reader, we reached out to State Sen. Kevin Ranker (40th District – Washington) for additional information and his take on the news report. Following is the full text of Ranker’s response:
After some research this seems fairly legitimate. It is likely less dramatic than what the Truthout article states, but there are naval documents that detail plans of training in the Northwest. The Navy appeared to be making these plans controversially confidential, which is why it seems so sudden.
A more composed article from the Tacoma News Tribune reports similar news, but it does not appear so pressing. The article states that Navy officials told the News Tribune that any training was ‘months or years away.’ Governor Inslee’s office reported that it is unlikely that Navy SEAL training would occur or expand without any communication, and after contacting a Northwest Navy officer it does not appear plans are moving forward any quicker than when the office last checked two months ago.
It is also important to note that a lot of the training would take place on federal or Navy owned land, but there have been many complaints from the peninsula in the past about Navy training causing more disturbances than expected. Communication between the Navy Region Northwest and the state has been very poor in recent times as well. It is possible that the Navy is creating a master document of training that has already been planned with maybe some more sites added.
An example of past controversies with the Navy in Washington state can be found HERE.
We are unsure that these newly uncovered training programs will not start as soon as mid-January as reported and may just be a continuation of already established plans. I did not find any information on Navy sites, but officials maintain that the Navy would not move forward without a notice of at least a month in advance.
None of the scheduled or anticipated training sessions involve the San Juan Islands.
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There is a helicopter circling, and a boat w/ a searchlight out in front of our home near Obstruction Pass State Park right now. I hope it is a training program, and not a real search for humans needing help! I also hope that if the military decides to do a training that might (as it should) look real, in my view – that they will notify me beforehand. Not to do so would be terrifying.
Isn’t Obstruction Pass part of the SJ Island’s National Monument? If it’s done on land the Feds control it would fit.
WHO stated that these exercises would not involve the San Juans? The Navy?
Spirit Eagle
The Navy seals are welcome to use our beach whenever they want for training. It would be an honor.
Sandy, we saw the CG boats and chopper last night too, not sure what it was but there wasn’t a Mayday declared on the radio that I know of.
Thank you to the Davidson’s. The price of “FREEDOM”
takes being prepared. This means training.
Lin,
Thank you for posting this article. I had also read the Truthout article, so I immediately forwarded it with my concerns to Rep. Larsen and Sen. Cantwell. I encourage everyone to read the original article at https://www.truth-out.org/news/item/34367-exclusive-navy-uses-us-citizens-as-pawns-in-domestic-war-games .
There is no safety, no security, no peace until OUR government stops killing people, subverting governments and dismantles the Empire. The Navy is not here to protect us, they are here to show their contempt for the citizens of this country while protecting corporate rule. If they come here they should be treated like the mercenaries and war criminals they are.. We’ll let John Early welcome them first.
The price of freedom takes individual responsibility for looking at and telling the truth. It does not require unannounced military maneuvers/trainings in the ‘backyards’ of private citizens and the peaceful habitats of wildlife. This is appalling. It’s an example of the sense of extreme entitlement practiced by a lot of the military. Not ALL. There are some extraordinarily fine people in the military, so calm down, hawks. This is not a good thing.
And another thing……isn’t it TIME we get it that the answer to creating safety for ourselves does not lie in preparing to shoot/bomb/destroy anyone who frightens us? At what point in history has this worked? You harm someone….it WILL come back at you double, and on and on.
The Navy is welcome to use my beach for drills if they call first. I also appreciate when they or the coast Guard show up to help us evacuate patients to the mainland for emergency medical care, they can use my land for a LZ anytime.
What Brian said…. except we don’t have abeach for them to use.
Everybody should keep in mind that their life may well be saved, directly, by a well trained military crew. We live in an isolated location where patient transport to hospital facilities have been, and will hopefully continue to be, performed by the Navy, Coast Guard, Customs & Border Patrol, and our local sheriff departments.
I hope the military uses all the resources they need to train and prepare. I hope the folks who are frightened of that will find some way of calming themselves down. Either way, the peace we enjoy here comes at a price, and we must be prepared to pay it.
I am not in the military, and I’m not going to be. I’m glad other people are willing to do that, though. Go SEALS!
So much for free speech on Orcas Issues!!
I say we start a new online paper that respects freedom of speech!