KODIAK, Alaska (AP) - Though military officials have been approved to detonate up to 360 bombs during military exercises in the Gulf of Alaska this year, officials say they will not be used.
Rear Adm. John Korka told Kodiak community members on Thursday that there will be no bombs during the 2017 Northern Edge exercises, just as there were no bombs dropped in 2015, The Kodiak Daily Mirror reported (https://bit.ly/2on3eCc).
The current Environmental Impact Statement for the exercises approves the detonation of 360 bombs, 66 missiles, 26,376 Naval gun shells, 156 pyrotechnics, 94 targets and 1,587 sonobuoys.
The 2017 exercises won’t include a submarine, so no pyrotechnics, targets and sonobuoys will be used, Korka said. In 2015, 16 non-explosive naval gun shells were expended. There will be less this year, Korka said.
“I’m not saying that this is going to be a benign training event. There are a lot of other proficiencies that we’re going to gain, but if you want to sort of just compare what we’re going to do, to what we did, to what we’re authorized to do, I just wanted to make sure you have a good appreciation for that,” he said.
The exercises should not impede normal boat traffic through the portion of the gulf where the exercises will occur, Korka said, because explosives won’t be detonated.
The 2019 exercises could be larger in scale than this year, he said.
Northern Edge exercises are held every two years in the Gulf of Alaska. The 2017 exercises are scheduled to occur May 1-12.
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Information from: Kodiak (Alaska) Daily Mirror, https://www.kodiakdailymirror.com
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