INDIAN ISLAND — Military units converge on Jefferson County this weekend in an exercise to defend a small fictitious southwest Pacific island nation from a seaborne threat.
Indian Island, Marrowstone Island, Whidbey Island and Point Wilson become part of Mondo Island Archipelago, a friendly nation that has requested peacekeepers to defend its shores.
The scenario, called Seahawk, has been hosted by Naval Magazine Indian Island for at least seven years.
“This exercise is very similar to years past,” said Cmdr. Ron Savage, a Navy reservist with San Diego-based Coastal Warfare Group 1.
“Generally speaking, an exercise is a training and practice event, and an operation is a real-world event,” he said.
Seahawk is an exercise since there is no actual threat being defended against. In military terms, it is referred to as “Exercise Seahawk 04.”
Up to 900 troops
About 800 to 900 troops will participate in the exercise — slightly more than last summer.
The sailors hail from the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard and the Canadian navy, Savage said.
