John Hansen: “a tragedy has recently occurred in the defense of our Nation and the protection of the men and women who serve in its…”

“a tragedy has recently occurred in the defense of our Nation and the protection of the men and women who serve in its defense. Specifically, we sent our USS Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked, into a high threat area without the proper training and instruction required. The frustrating point about it was the training was available, planned and scheduled. But due to political considerations, it was canceled, leaving our Marines and sailors vulnerable and frankly unprepared. I am speaking about Vieques, a tiny island that is part of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico that the Department of the Navy has been using since 1950 as a live fire bombing range. The range provides the ability for the Navy and Marine Corps to conduct simulated amphibious landing operations while using combined arms of artillery, naval gunfire, and close air support. It serves as the culminating exercise for a series of workups that the ARG goes through prior to deploying to the Mediterranean for a 6-month cruise. Vieques is a unique training site.”