950 TONS!!!

This piece is a bit in hindsight, but articulates the magnitude of the mission of Naval Weapons Station Earle, and the types of armaments not only stored and handled at NWS Earle, but also that presumably make their way from Mainside storage, then along Normandy Road by train or tractor trailors (thru Colts Neck, Northern Tinton Falls and Middletown) en route to Earle's pier.

The March 10, 2009 Navy Newstand reported that the USS Wasp, billed "the lead ship of an all-new class of multipurpose amphibious assault ships" whose primary mission is "the support of a Marine Landing Force," onloaded 950 TONS of ordnance over an anticipated time of five days. This equated to 1,035 pallets moved over the course of 50 hours, and was conducted "in preparation for an upcoming surge to support operations in the Central Command area of responsibility." (In other words, in the Persian Gulf.)

Although it is clearly difficult for civilians such as ourselves to ascertain thru the media the strategic significance of what goes on at Weapons Station Earle, this news story sheds a bit of light on the powderkeg near which we reside, and why introducing unimpeded civilian access to the base is not the brightest idea, the Navy's financial constraints notwithstanding. NOPE certainly hopes Navy leaders in Washington reverse course on its Record of Decision on Laurelwood housing and will continue to press for such a reversal.