The Vieques, Puerto Rico, Naval Training Range was a United States naval facility located on the island of Vieques, about 5 miles east of mainland Puerto Rico. Starting in November 1941, the navy used the range for military exercises. Military operations ended in 2001, with the Navy completely leaving the area in 2003.[1]
The operations were repeatedly protested by locals, for concerns related to the environmental damage and related health consequences caused by using the area for ordnance practice. These protests reached national attention during the Navy–Vieques protests in 1999. Upon the shutdown of the military operations, there was a cleanup process that was continuing into the mid 2010s and the ongoing cleanup costs were some of the most expensive decommissioned sites being cleaned up by the military. However, the landscape still is heavily contaminated with chemicals, depleted uranium and other materials, especially in the former ordinance area.
- ^ O'Rourke, Ronald. "Vieques, Puerto Rico Naval Training Range: Background and Issues for Congress". Congressional Research Service Report for Congress. Retrieved 2012-02-01.