NWS Earle To Do Harbor Protection Exercises Oct. 1

LEONARDO, NJ — If you hear loud noises and emergency sirens coming from Naval Weapons Station Earle (NWS Earle) off Leonardo Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 1, please be aware it is part of a drill the Navy will be conducting later today.

NWS Earle will conduct harbor protection exercises during the afternoon hours of Oct. 1, 2019 in the waters surrounding the Navy’s pier in Leonardo. The training is schedule to conclude by 4:30 p.m., according to a press release from the base.

The exercises will involve marked U.S. Navy harbor patrol boats and sentry towers firing blank ammunition in Sandy Hook Bay in the vicinity of the NWS Earle Waterfront Restricted Area. The local communities which may be affected by the noise of blank ammunition include Leonardo, Atlantic Highlands, Belford, Middletown and Sandy Hook National Park.

The exercises are designed to enhance the training and readiness of harbor security forces and are not in response to any specific threat, said the U.S. Navy.

As a reminder, the waters surrounding the NWS Earle Pier are restricted. The Marine Security Zone is shown on navigational charts for Lower New York Harbor and are patrolled by armed Navy Security Forces. Violators will be prosecuted.