Forced Military Correctness: Whale watching
Speaking of the Navy, a Federal District Court ruled to require lookouts and other restrictions on Navy testing of new active-sonar equipment—all in order to prevent possible harm to marine mammals in the area. These restrictions severely limit the Navy’s ability to conduct vital testing for this new and vastly superior sonar system, not to mention the fact that our enemies probably won’t stop for a dolphin.
Meanwhile, Iran has announced the launch of a new domestically produced submarine in conjunction with the 1 February start of exercise, “Etehad 86,” a maneuver intended to “increase the military capabilities of the Iranian Navy.” U.S. Navy officials must be concerned that this new submarine may be capable of deploying the new supersonic and highly capable anti-ship missile known as the “Sizzler,” or SS-N-27B. Apparently the Iranian Navy is not burdened by bathtub admirals in a district court and is instead busy trying to expand its military capabilities. Would that our courts were as concerned with our U.S. Marine and Navy “mammals” as they are with whales.
Further update…
Last week, we reported that a Federal District Court ruled that the Navy must make sure that sea mammals are not in the area when testing new active-sonar equipment. This week, the Bush administration took action, exempting the Navy from the Coastal Zone Management Act, which environmentalists and the federal judge had used to stop the Navy. The White House rightly declared naval activities to be “essential to national security” and that compliance with such a ridiculous law “would undermine the Navy’s ability to conduct realistic training exercises that are necessary to ensure the combat effectiveness of carrier and expeditionary strike groups.” Of course, environmentalists didn’t need another reason to hate President Bush. The New York Times reports, “The sonar in question generates underwater sound using extreme pressure, something marine biologists say can disorient and injure animals, resulting in bleeding, disruption of mating and feeding, and in some cases, death.” Might we suggest that an enemy submarine could cause disorientation, bleeding and death—in humans—if the Navy is not prepared.
