U.S. Navy Harrier fighter jets were forced to drop four bombs, two inert and two carrying explosives but not armed, after civilian boats were spotted near their original target.
The aircraft, which were not able to land safely carrying the bombs, were participating in Operation Talisman Saber, a joint U.S.-Australian military exercise involving nearly 30,000 personnel, mostly around northern Australia.
The U.S. Navy on Tuesday offered Australia any help it wanted to retrieve four bombs mistakenly dropped inside the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef marine park last week.
Vice Admiral Scott Swift, the commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, said a decision on whether to leave the bombs or retrieve them was up to the Australian government. He displayed his willingness to help remove the bombs if it came down to that.
The bombs are lying in 50 to 60 meters of water, and pose little risk to the reef or shipping and could easily be picked up by Navy divers, a spokesman added.
Environmentalists have criticized holding such large-scale military exercises in sensitive areas such as the Great Barrier Reef, which is under threat from increased commercial shipping, climate change and an invasive starfish infestation.
|