As an active-duty Navy officer and a full-blooded native Puerto Rican, I identify deeply with the situation on our beloved island of Vieques. During my 14 years of naval service, I have visited Vieques on several occasions for naval fire support qualifications and battle group readiness exercises in preparation for Mediterranean and Arabian Gulf deployments.
I am very concerned about the future of this little island and its people. Live-fire exercises on the island led to the accidental death of a civilian last April, and may have contributed to some health problems and damaged the ecology of this beautiful spot.
There are two very valid positions to consider in this conflict. First, there is the Navy's requirement to organize, train, and equip its force. Atlantic Fleet units need to conduct exercises to attain the highest state of readiness prior to deploying for six months to the Mediterranean Sea, the Arabian Gulf, or the Indian Ocean. Vieques possesses incredible training facilities that meet these needs: sophisticated communication systems; convenient geographical location; the capacity to allow aerial maneuvers without altitude restrictions; and the opportunity to integrate a complete battle group complement during training. All of this makes the training facilities in Vieques unmatched in the world. Here we have a classroom in which to take a final exam—as close to reality as possible—before relying on our intense training in a real conflict.
The other position is that this community, living under a constant military presence, is being harmed by the Navy's activities there. Viequenses live under the persistent roar of supersonic aircraft en route to deposit metal and explosives on the hills and beaches on the east side of this gorgeous island. A population of more than 9,000 American citizens, who have contributed to the defense of our nation with their tolerance and acceptance for the last few decades, are the same ones who have suffered through a decrease in the fishing industry, slow economic development, and the inability to use valuable natural resources on the island.
Puerto Rico's Resident Commissioner in Washington, Carlos Romero Barcelo, considered it a positive step that the Navy recognized the low utility of the lands owned on the west side of Vieques, where the Navy has an ammunition depot. He also mentioned recently that the Navy had to accept that the training facilities for the Pacific Fleet are considerably less versatile than the ones existing in Vieques. The Pacific Fleet's facilities are not able to provide the particular level of training possible at Vieques. The Pacific Fleet is ready, however, and has not complained about a lack of realistic training.
I support Romero-Barcelo's assessment. I was stationed on a ship forward deployed in Japan for almost two years. All the Pacific Fleet ships that came to the Far East, as well as the ones already there, were prepared to take on any task. Their training facilities, including those in San Diego and Hawaii, have been more than adequate to ensure a high level of readiness.
At a time of tight Defense budgets—and when maintaining readiness is as paramount as ever—it will not be easy to say good-bye to Vieques. But it is time for the Navy to examine in detail what it is the Pacific Fleet, lacking a Vieques, does to maintain its readiness and implement the same practices in the Atlantic Fleet—without a Vieques. Why don't we return this land to the people, and allow them to expand their local economy and improve their quality of life? There are other operating areas to the north and south of Puerto Rico, and the underwater range facility southwest of Saint Croix, that still can be used without affecting the level of readiness of the fleet or the wellbeing of the population there.
It is time to eliminate the live firing on Vieques, before another tragedy occurs or the unique ecology of this little island is damaged permanently. Economically, the Navy could save some infrastructure money by closing Vieques and using other existing facilities that already are used for similar large-scale training exercises. Let's return Vieques to the Viequenses and save the island for all of us today!
Commander Matos is assigned to the Navy Staff in Washington, DC.