Proposed Action

Realistic training and testing are crucial for military readiness, personnel safety, and national defense.

The Proposed Action is to continue military readiness activities at sea and on FDM within the Study Area. Military readiness activities include training; research, development, testing, and evaluation (collectively referred to as “testing”); and range modernization and sustainment. The purpose of the Proposed Action is to ensure the Action Proponents can organize, train, and equip service members and personnel to meet their respective national defense missions.

Proposed training and testing activities are similar to those previously analyzed and are representative of activities conducted around the Mariana Islands for decades, with some updates to the type, frequency, duration, intensity, and location. Proposed training continues to include joint- and combined-force activities in the Western Pacific, including those in which foreign partners and allied nations participate.

Proposed range modernization and sustainment activities include placement and maintenance of subsurface targets, such as training minefields, and placement of temporary instrumentation in the Study Area.

The Navy identified 10 military readiness activities to be analyzed as “new” in the SEIS/OEIS for the purposes of consolidating existing environmental analyses, reclassifying ongoing activities, or refining testing factors to ensure a comprehensive and consistent analysis.

At-sea military readiness activities may include the use of active sonar, explosives, or other sources of sound. The Action Proponents would continue to implement mitigation measures when conducting at-sea activities to reduce or avoid potential adverse effects on marine species and cultural resources.