The dense rain forest of Washington state’s Olympic peninsula will soon be the site of a curious set of war games conducted by the United States Military. Plans have been drawn up to test and refine the US military’s ability to use and maintain electromagnetic weapons inside national forest lands. Pumping radiation out of towers at 14 locations, including stations on the Quinault, Queets, Hoh rivers and rain forests, the United States government is saying that there is little to no risk to humans or large animals in the region.
According to an environmental assessment, the purpose of the war games is to train to deny the enemy of:
“all possible frequencies of electromagnetic radiation (i.e. electromagnetic energy) for use in such applications as communication systems, navigation systems and defense related systems and components.”
The assessment also states that the level of radiation will pose no serious health hazard. The Peninsula Daily News reports:
“The Navy’s environmental assessment, which includes plans for protecting people and large animals, found no significant impact from the $11.5 million warfare training project, planned to be operational on the West End by September 2015.”
However, supporting documents warn that humans will need to be at least 100 feet away from the transmission towers, and that exposure to the emitted radiation can damage the eyes or exposed skin. Locals remain skeptical of the true health risks. More information can be found at the USDA Forest Service website.