Point Mugu Sea RangeOverview

CAPT Aaron Cudnohufsky, USN12 October 2010

SAN NICOLAS

ISLAND

Point MuguSea Range

LandRange

ECR

NAWCWD Ranges

Point Mugu Sea RangePoint Mugu Sea Range

• Realistic sea operational environment

• 36,000 sq mi of controlled sea / airspace

• Expanded to 221,000 sq mi• Operations and range control• Extensive instrumentation

– TSPI, telemetry, communications, geophysics ...

• Data processing and display system• Air, sea, littoral targets• Ordnance storage, handling,

and assembly facilities• Range safety, security,

and environmental support• Aircraft support

Sea RangeSan Nicolas

Island

225 nm

69 nm

100 nm

Point Mugu

Economic Impact

• Naval Base Ventura County– Largest employer in county– 19,000 military & civilian working on base– Contributes additional 8,200 jobs– Impact exceeds $1.2 billion

• Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division is key tenant activity anchored by the Point Mugu Sea Range

Typical Operation

TypicalHazard Patterns

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Number of Sea Range Events

17,000 Events Per Year

Safety

• Safety is an integral part of our mission• No hazardous event will proceed if any

non-participants are in a hazard pattern• Notices to Mariners• Radar/AIS surveillance• Aircraft and boats

Existing Shipping Lanes

Existing Regulatory

Zone

Increased Ship Transits Since 1 July 2009

Point MuguSea Range

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Sea Range Ship Traffic

Inbound

Outbound

Operational Impacts

• Major missile exercise delayed• Two advanced weapon tests cancelled

in two months– Originally thought to be unrelated– First time in memory– Relooking at ship routes to determine if

ships were avoiding SB Channel

What Are We Doing?

• Established communications with shipping industry through LA/LB Marine Exchange

• Redirecting significant number of ships• Request to ARB to modify rule to remove

current impacts to the Sea Range• Strongly discouraging efforts to establish new

routes through the Sea Range

Summary• The Point Mugu Sea Range is a critical national asset for the

DoD, Navy and our allies

• Increase in ship traffic through the Sea Range is impacting our ability to test and train

• Significant coordination effort has been required since July 2009 to minimize impacts

• Traffic will continue to increase as economy improves raising the likelihood of serious impacts

• Navy committed to working with stakeholders to resolve issues consistent with air quality & national security goals

Units would deploy w/o required qualifications or delivery of new/modified systems would be delayed