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FDM bombing runs resume
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Posted on Jun 14 2004
The U.S. military will be conducting bombing exercises on Farallon de Mendinilla Island at the height of celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the Battles of Saipan and Tinian.
The bombing exercises would be conducted 24 hours daily from June 15 to 18, according to a public advisory released by the Emergency Management Office.
On June 21, the military would also conduct an aerial survey of FDM from 8am to 12pm, the EMO said.
The EMO advised fishermen, commercial pilots and tour operators to stay away from the training site during the duration of the military exercises.
“The general locations of these activities will be on the FDM Training Area (R7201) on a 10-nautical mile radius on all quadrants,” advised the EMO.
The resumption of bombing exercises on FDM this week comes on the heels of an increasing trend in military activities in the Marianas region. Naval Forces Marianas commander Rear Adm. Arthur Johnson, in a recent visit to the CNMI, bared plans to increase military presence on Tinian.
The military currently controls about 30 percent of the landmass of Tinian, maintaining leasehold over 7,628 acres of public land. The military leases about 178 acres of public land on Saipan, while maintaining leasehold over the entire FDM.
Johnson had also disclosed the increasing trend in the military’s joint and multilateral training with allied countries, including the Philippines, Australia, and Brunei, among others. Sometime last week, the U.S. Navy and Special Forces from Singapore conducted a joint training on Guam. (John Ravelo)
