Appendix B

Point Mugu Sea Range Overview

(Information Provided by the U.S. Navy)
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Point Mugu Sea Range

Overview

The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD), part of the Naval Air 

Systems Command (NAVAIR), is a multi-site organization that includes a land range 

and associated facilities at China Lake and Point Mugu, California. NAWCWD is the 

Navy’s premier test, training, and experimentation center for weapons systems 

associated with air warfare, missiles and missile subsystems, aircraft weapons 

integration, and airborne electronic warfare systems. The NAWCWD role at Point Mugu 

is to provide a safe, operationally realistic, and thoroughly instrumented testing and 

training environment. During every United States military crises since World War II, 

work at China Lake and Point Mugu has played a significant role: developing and 

testing weapons and systems that work the first time, every time.

The Point Mugu Sea Range (Sea Range, Figure 1), managed by NAWCWD, is the 

cornerstone range resource of a national naval Research, Development, Testing, and 

Evaluation (RDT&E) capability. The Sea Range is the nation’s largest and most 

capable instrumented RDT&E sea range. Adjacent to Naval Base Ventura County 

(NBVC), the Sea Range is comprised of ocean areas and airspace, and air, surface, 

and subsurface range areas covering 27,278 square nautical miles of ocean area and 

military Special Use Airspace (SUA). The Sea Range also includes extended range 

areas, covering approximately 221,000 square nautical miles, which are utilized for 

specialized RDT&E activities. As the Navy’s primary sea range for RDT&E, the Sea 

Range directly supports Navy and Joint systems developmental and operational 

programs as well as RDT&E by other agencies such as the Missile Defense Agency 

(MDA) and space launch activity from nearby Vandenberg Air Force Base.

The Sea Range is an integral and foundational asset of NBVC. A 2006 NBVC Economic 

Impact Study, presented by the Workforce Investment Board of Ventura County, 

reported NBVC as the largest employer in the county, with over 19,000 personnel 

(military and civilian) working for, or stationed on the base in all categories, and 

contributing directly or indirectly to another 8,200 jobs throughout the county. NBVC 

contributes significantly to the economic health of the area, with an economic impact 

exceeding $1.2 billion in 2006. According to a statement by Bill Buratto, Ventura 

County Economic Development Association President and Chief Executive Officer, 

"NBVC is the fifth-largest base in the country. The work in electronic warfare, naval 

weapons systems, and testing and evaluation of a host of technologies have added 

immeasurably to our national defense. The employees and military personnel have 

enhanced our quality of life through their volunteerism and involvement in our 

community."
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RDT&E activities are fundamental to ongoing Navy “transformation”; a continuous 

process of addressing how the Navy organizes, trains, and equips itself to meet current 

and future challenges. Transformation involves changing the tools (weapons and 

technology, organizational structures, or approaches to training) at the disposal of naval 

forces, or changing the way in which naval forces employ existing tools. Navy RDT&E 

plays a pivotal role in the transformation process as the fulcrum for the development 

and testing of weapons and technology at the disposal of naval forces.

The Sea Range is a unique national asset. Geographically, it is ideally situated to 

support its mission, with open sea space and dedicated airspace supported by natural 

features (San Nicolas Island, Laguna, Peak, Santa Cruz Island, and Naval Base 

Ventura County) to provide the required RDT&E infrastructure. That infrastructure is 

likewise unique. The range instrumentation, airfield and port facilities, and command 

and control facilities of the Sea Range combine with the location to create an 

unparalleled environment for sea-based RDT&E. The Sea Range is organized, 

managed, and equipped to support integrated RDT&E in four media—sea, air, space, 

and land. The Navy, Air Force, and other federal agencies such as NASA and the MDA 

need assured access to these resources on the Sea Range in order to accomplish 

RDT&E activities that are vital to national security, and warfighter training.

The Sea Range can support a broad array of testing and training scenarios, from 

routine one-on-one events to complex multi-participant, multi-target training or RDT&E 

in dense electronic combat environments. The Sea Range also supports portions of 

complex, full-battlegroup, Fleet exercises involving aircraft, surface ships, and 

submarines against a variety of air and sea targets and threats. RDT&E events are 

conducted in a realistic, controlled, open-air, open-ocean maritime environment.

During missile launches and other operations, the Navy may close portions of the Sea 

Range for safety and security. Mariners are advised to use caution and avoid the area. 

Commercial and other vessels transiting the area may result in delays and diversions of 

critical testing and training exercises. Vessels or aircraft that do not comply with 

closures may result in cancelation of exercises that take many years to plan and that 

cannot be rescheduled. If this happens, troops may be deployed at a reduced state of 

readiness and without the tools or training needed to perform their duties.
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Figure 1. Pt. Mugu Sea Range

Critical Sea Range Operations

The Sea Range currently supports three general categories of training including: 1) 

Fleet training exercises (FLEETEX) and other training, 2) small-scale amphibious 

warfare training, and 3) special warfare training. The Sea Range also supports six 

general categories of tests to evaluate sea, land, and air weapons systems: 1) air-to-air 

tests, 2) air-to-surface tests, 3) surface-to-air tests, 4) surface-to-surface tests, 5) 

subsurface-to-surface tests, and 6) Theater Missile Defense (TMD) test and training 

activities. Not all of these require clearing large areas of sea and air space of nonparticipants, though any involving live-fire or potential for falling debris require area 

clearance for safety reasons.

The most time-critical of these exercises testing and training needed prior to 

deployment of troops or weapons. This includes Combat System Ship Qualification 

Trials (CSSQT) and Weapons System Upgrades both of which are highly time sensitive, 

generally cannot be rescheduled if delayed, and without which the overall state of 
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readiness is reduced. In the event that operations can be rescheduled the costs 

involved are significant, running into the millions of dollars for even a short delay.

Fleet Training Exercises and Combat System Ship Qualification Trials

A Fleet Training Exercises (FLEETEX) is a generic term which broadly encompasses a 

variety of Fleet training activities. FLEETEXs are major Naval training events designed 

to exercise a Battle Group’s warfighting capabilities as they are intended to function in 

actual combat. A Battle Group refers to a group of ships that are tailored by size and 

type for specific warfare missions. FLEETEXs include development of an intelligence 

situation with the exercised units engaged against hostile forces simulated by other 

Naval units. These types of complex training exercises usually involve an entire Battle 

Group working together and are vital to maintaining operational readiness of U.S. Naval 

forces. 

FLEETEXs on the Sea Range typically last two to three days and generally involve 

multiple missile firings, 50 or more aircraft sorties, and varied types of surface 

combatants. The Point Mugu Sea Range provides the opportunity to involve weapons 

systems and personnel in realistic warfare environments, including complex live-fire 

scenarios. FLEETEXs on the Sea Range do not involve the use of active sonar. 

Although each FLEETEX varies, all typically involve large numbers of ships and aircraft, 

usually with emphasis on air warfare and surface warfare training.

CSSQTs are the final training episode before a ship is deployed overseas. Normally 

this training involves multiple target presentations to test the ship’s ability to defend 

itself. If the CSSQT is not fully completed, a ship must deploy at less than full readiness, 

thus jeopardizing the entire battle group. 

Weapons System Upgrades

Weapon system upgrades may be requested by deployed forces. As weapon systems 

are used in the field, forward forces identify specific improvements necessary to 

address a specific shortcoming, or desired improvement, in weapons performance. 

These are time sensitive requests, and any delay to needed improvements places U.S. 

forces at increased risk.

Air-to-Air

Air-to-air testing involves the test and evaluation of an airborne weapon system (e.g., a 

test missile fired from a fighter aircraft against an airborne target). The test missiles are 

highly instrumented to record the intercept parameters and usually do not carry live 

warheads. 

Air-to-Surface

Air-to-surface testing includes an aircraft weapon system using a missile, bomb, inert 

mine shape, or any other object released from an aircraft for attack of an enemy surface 

target. Free-fall bombs and mine shapes are usually inert, without fusing or explosives, 

and are used to test the accuracy of a weapon system. Targets for the air-to-surface 
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scenario are floating surface targets or a single target area on the western tip of San 

Nicolas Island.

Surface-to-Air

Surface-to-air testing involves ship’s defensive weapons systems used for defense 

against an enemy airborne target or threat. Other surface-to-air scenarios include 

surface-launched weapons systems and airborne targets. The targets are similar to the 

air-to-air scenario and are air-launched or surface-launched.

Surface-to-Surface

Surface-to-surface testing involves a surface vessel firing a missile against a surface 

target, which is either another ship or a land target. This includes testing of a ship’s 

weapon system using a cruise missile weapon to attack a surface target. The test 

article can be captive-carry using an inert missile, missile with telemetry and a live 

rocket, or the actual firing of a live missile. Air support is required from the range to 

provide chase aircraft and safety procedures are implemented to clear the target 

operational area. 

Subsurface-to-Surface

Subsurface-to-surface testing involves testing a submarine’s weapon system to attack a 

surface or land target. Missiles are fired from a submarine in the Sea Range at a 

surface target (hulk) on the Sea Range. The air support required from the range to 

clear the target operational area and provide chase aircraft is identical to the air-tosurface scenario.

Theater Missile Defense (TMD)

“TMD” is defined as the ability of the United States to defend its armed forces deployed 

abroad and its friends and allies against the threat of missile attack from both short- and 

long-range missiles in any theater of operations. The term TMD is used to describe a 

whole family of defensive missile programs and thus encompasses a wide variety of 

programs. Current testing includes Air- and Surface-carried laser systems intended to 

destroy a variety of missile targets.

Littoral Warfare Training and Small Scale Amphibious Warfare Training

Littoral warfare training is conducted by the Marine Corps and by Navy Special Warfare 

forces. Marine Corps amphibious warfare training involves operations on land and on 

sea. Amphibious operations include shore assault, boat raids, airfield seizure, 

humanitarian assistance, and light-armor reconnaissance. Amphibious landing training 

exercises are currently conducted about two times per year and traditionally consist of 

small-scale manned raids at pre-approved sites. These activities typically have 

occurred at San Nicolas Island when the schedule of operations and existing 

environmental restrictions allow. 

Special Warfare Training

Special warfare training exercises are currently conducted about two times per year. 

Special warfare onshore operations generally involve human activities of individuals on 
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foot (less than ten personnel), group movement on foot (less than 30 personnel), group 

climbing, clandestine patrolling, laying-in (for observation), and communication by radio. 

No land vehicles are used except for safety purposes. Helicopters perform hovering 

and landing operations and are also used to conduct personnel and cargo parachute 

drops. Surface craft activities on beaches include the use of various small vessels.

Frequency of Operations on the Sea Range

Units and organizations of the Navy, as well as other services and agencies, and 

coalition partners, conduct approximately 17,000 events in a representative year on the 

Sea Range. Not all of these events require areas free of non-participating vessels and 

aircraft. One example is an aircraft flying on the range to test a new system that doesn’t 

involve firing a weapon. However, test and training events that do involve firing 

weapons require areas clear of non-participating vessels or aircraft. Areas 3A, 3B, 4A, 

4B and 5A on Figure 1 are the most used areas of the Sea Range. Hazardous 

operations are conducted in those areas approximately 200 days in a typical year. As 

noted above, commercial and other vessels transiting the area result in delays, 

diversions or cancellations of these types of critical testing and training exercises. 

Delays or diversions significantly increase the cost of an event and that cost is 

ultimately borne by the taxpayer. If an event is cancelled and cannot be rescheduled, 

troops may be deployed at a reduced state of readiness and without the training needed 

to perform their duties.