introduction
this summer, some major seismic activity took place in Southern California; you probably heard about those three high-magnitude earthquakes that affected the communities of Inyokern, Ridgecrest, and Trona on Thursday, July 4th and Friday, July 5th. people reported feeling the bigger quakes in Las Vegas, Nevada. following the cluster of larger quakes, this region of California experienced hundreds upon hundreds of smaller aftershocks.
I remember seeing news reports discussing the significant quake damage sustained on a Naval base outside the city of Ridgecrest. but before that, I had never heard of the Naval station at China Lake. since then, I've been doing some research on the base, its operations and history.
so this week's post is about the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake because WTF? it's huge: over one million acres! can you even picture a million acres in your head? I can't. for comparison, all of Manhattan, New York, is just 14,478 acres... allow that to hurt your mind like it's currently hurting mine! with all of the acreage, the China Lake ranges make up thirty-eight percent of the Navy’s land holdings worldwide.
according to the federal Bureau of Land Management, the Western Mojave Desert area is made up of “9.3 million acres in Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino counties," including "3.3 million acres of public lands administered by BLM, 3 million acres of private lands, 102,000 acres administered by the State of California, and [additional] military lands administered by the Department of Defense.”
you know, it's wild that you can't steal something from the store without breaking the law and facing legal consequences, but the U.S. government took China Lake's acreage by force, uses the land to develop/test war technology, and prohibits public access — and it's all been "legal"... SMDH! time and time again, that is the way of United States history: from coast to coast, and beyond. land theft! warfare! forcing people to adopt unsustainable lifestyles in the middle of the desert! 😉
early history and background
this southeastern region of California has been home to Indigenous communities for over 10,000 years. this is evidenced by the communities' histories, including over 20,000 Indigenous petroglyph artworks that remain intact throughout the region. many of these cultural sites are not open to public access, either in an effort protect their condition or because they are located on military occupied lands. there are an estimated 16,000 recorded archaeological sites on China Lake base alone, of which only two are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, or NRHP (Pacific Coast Archaeological Society Quarterly, Vol 43, No. 1 & 2).
according to the Bakersfield Californian newspaper, in 1826 a group of American beaver trappers arrived in the general Mojave area under the leadership of a New York-based man named Jedediah Smith. and that colonizer expedition would change the land forever. like the rest of California, this desert region has been a part of "Western society" for much less time than it was home to Indigenous communities such as the Mojave.
the Mojave Desert serves as a typical example of white colonizers barging into a foreign region, steadily and violently removing its community members, and then naming the land after them. (for more info on this genocidal pattern in American history, please read Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz's An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States, or really any of her books.)
you may be wondering why the Naval complex is called China Lake... and you may notice that today the lakebed in this area is largely very dry. however, at one point in California history, borax extraction from this lakebed was an industry for which American companies hired Chinese immigrant labor, and so the local white people began referring to the area as "China Lake." so the reason it's called China Lake is: racism!
military use: weapons testing and more
today, China Lake is home to the Naval Warfare Center Weapons Division which is in command of the China Lake complex. the complex holds the Naval Weapons Center (NWC) as well as the Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS). today China Lake is often locally referred to as "the Base."
in 1943, the U.S. government created the Naval Ordnance Test Station, or NOTS, at this site so that the California Institute of Technology, or CalTech, could build and test rockets for the Navy. NOTS is the old name of China Lake; nowadays it is more formally known as the Naval Air Weapons Station at China Lake. since it was first established, the station's purpose has been to research, develop, and test weapons for warfare, and also to train personnel on how to use all the various weapon technologies.
according to the China Lake Museum, "during World War II, the Station played a role in the Manhattan Project as the site of 'Project Camel,' which developed non-nuclear explosive bomb components." the Museum also notes that "U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia in the 1960s quickened the tempo of activities at NOTS, and a new generation of 'smart' bombs, cluster weapons, and night-attack systems was developed to meet Fleet needs."
here is a video of some tests done more recently at the China Lake Naval ranges:
we all know that warfare and demonstrations of military might are age-old American cultural traditions; it is no mystery that many people may gain pleasure from watching videos of weapons testing and dramatic explosions in the desert. but if you consider all the people and places across the globe that have been harmed and killed by the use of American war tactics for generations, weapons demonstrations like this take on a much more devastating meaning.
of course, there are other kinds of operations and uses of land on the China Lake base, including the storage of retired and abandoned aircraft. the China Lake Museum also provides a comprehensive list of technological and weapons development "firsts" accomplished on China Lake base, which can be viewed here.
the Navy also possesses four privately built, owned, and operated geothermal power plants at China Lake. according to a report from United States Air Force Colonel Gregory J. Lengyel, these power plants provide energy for the whole base. in his report Colonel Lengyel explains, "the private company sells the electricity to a utility company and pays the Navy," and adds that the Navy, "received an average of $14.7 million annually from 1987 to 2003 (see page 54)." it is worth noting that Colonel Lengyel begins his report stating a fact many of us are increasingly familiar with:
"the DOD is the largest single consumer of energy in the United States, and energy is the key enabler of United States (US) military combat power."
in addition to the Navy and Department of Defense operations, there are several private contractors for defense engineering and weapons manufacturing working within China Lake. h the private contractors include Virginia-based manufacturer Northrop-Grumman and also the San Francisco Bay Area's own Lockheed Martin Corporation. these kinds of private companies make unbelievable sums of money from their contracts with the U.S. Defense Department. for example, earlier this year Lockheed Martin won an $84 million deal to design missile tech through 2024 specifically for the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division at China Lake.
it is fair to say that all United States military efforts have shared an end goal of creating economic power and influence. the city of Ridgecrest (population 27,000) refers to itself as a "support community, vital to the mission fo the Navy, by providing housing and services for Federal employees and contractors." Ridgecrest also boasts its role as a city that "provides shopping for over 40,000 people throughout the Indian Wells Valley." money is the motive and the reason that this area is no longer simply home to Indigenous communities.
the China Lake complex is one of several major military sites in the Mojave Desert region. the others include: Edwards Air Force Base, Fort Irwin National Training Center, and the Twenty-Nine Palms Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center. additionally, the airspace above these military sites is restricted access: 20,000 square miles in the sky that are designated as the R-2508 Special Use Airspace.
other information about the China Lake area
I recently went on a road trip with dear friends of mine to stargaze in Death Valley. we drove through the cities of Ridgecrest and Trona and the road took us right up next to NAWS China Lake. what I found noticeable was how much land is used for resource extraction. along the way we were wondering what *that* smell in Trona was, and I found out that if I start typing, "why does Trona..." into a Google search bar, it predicts that I will ask, "why does trona stink?" I learned the smell is caused by industry: the nearby dried-up Searles Lake is a site where many natural materials are extracted and processed by various private companies in order to produce things like borax, boric acid, sodium carbonate, sodium sulfate, and salt.
the Western Mojave region is expansive. the China Lake complex is surrounded by four mountain ranges: the Sierra Nevada, Cosos, Argus, and El Paso. the local area is home to many unique and breathtaking landscapes, including dunes, hot springs, mountains, valleys, sweeping desert flatlands and more. still, much of the land out there is restricted and the public does not have access to it. and in addition the the United States Defense Department, lands in this region are also by managed by the U.S. National Park Service, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Forest Service.
currently, China Lake is affected by several government management plans, each dedicated to overseeing different resources or protective efforts on the land. these include: the Integrated Cultural Resource Management Plan, the Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan for protected species, the Comprehensive Land Use Management Plan, and also the Endangered Species Act. a report from researcher Lenny Siegel of the Center for Public Environmental Oversight shares that in the Western Mojave, "some military operations threaten habitat while others protect it."
concluding thoughts
what are the larger impacts of NAWS China Lake? well, in 2009, the New York Times sent reporter David Page to NAWS China Lake to observe both the region’s archaeological sites and military operations. in Page's article, he shared that a civilian Navy public affairs officer by the name of Peggy Shoaf disclosed to him the following:
“Every weapon being used overseas right now was tested here.”
whether or not that statement is 100% accurate is difficult to fact-check as a humble civilian without ties to any military agency. but the sentiment behind it seems to be one of pride and that is something I find deeply American and deeply upsetting.
there are obvious environmental and social consequences to all of the United States military agencies' actions. according to the California Governor's Office of Planning and Research, here in California, the U.S. military "stewards approximately ten percent of California’s land, its operations and personnel contribute billions of dollars to California’s economy, and its military bases and airspace provide an integrated network of training assets critical to our national security that cannot be replicated or replaced." in 2014 the U.S. military was estimated to hold only about 3-4% of California's land. there are 32 military bases across the state, including:
Beale Air Force Base in Marysville, CA
Edwards Air Force Base in Edwards, CA
Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, CA
Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, CA
Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc, CA
March Air Reserve Base Air Force in Riverside, CA
Mcclellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, CA (not active, museum site)
Fort Irwin Army Base in Barstow, CA
Presidio Of Monterey Army Base in Monterey, CA
Fort Hunter Liggett Army Base in Monterey, CA
Camp Parks PRFTA Army Base in Dublin, CA
Camp Haan Army Base in Riverside, CA (not active)
Camp Roberts Army Base in Monterey, CA
Camp San Luis Obispo Army Base in San Luis Obispo, CA
Sierra Army Depot Army Base in Herlong, CA
ISC Alameda Coast Guard Base in Alameda, CA
Tracen Petaluma Coast Guard Base in Petaluma, CA
Los Alamitos Joint Forces in Los Alamitos, CA
San Joaquin Depot Joint Operations San Joaquin County, CA
Marine Corps Logisitics Base Barstow Marine Corps Base in Barstow, CA
Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base in San Diego, CA
MCAS Miramar Marine Corps Base in San Diego, CA
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego Marine Corps Base in San Diego, CA
Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Twentynine Palms, CA
Mountain Training Center Marine Corps Pickel Meadows, CA
Camp Pendleton’s Camp Talega Part of San Diego, CA
NAWS China Lake Navy Base in China Lake, CA
Naval Base Coronado Navy Base in San Diego, CA
NAS Lemoore Navy Base in Lemoore, CA
North Island Naval Complex Navy Base in San Diego, CA
Point Loma Navy Base in San Diego, CA
NAS Point Mugu Navy Base in Poing Mugu, CA
Naval Battalion Center Navy Base in Port Hueneme, CA
NS San Diego Navy Base in San Diego, CA
Naval Medical Center Navy Base in San Diego, CA
Naval Air Facility Navy Base in El Centro, CA
Naval Hospital Pendleton Navy Base Camp Pendleton, CA
Naval Postgraduate School Navy Base in Monterey, CA
NWS Seal Beach Navy Base in Seal Beach, CA
Chocolate Mountain Range Navy in Chocolate Mountain, CA
Military Ocean Terminal Concord Navy Base Concord, CA
all of this military activity seems at odds with California's self-image as a progressive, liberal haven. then again, so many progressive Californians be like:
the truth is that there is no excuse for imperialism. there is no excuse for bombing innocent people and there is no excuse for polluting our planet. think about all the devastation done in the name of our nation. California has played a key role in that devastation since it became apart of the United States in 1850. as Californians, we barely get to vote on what our tax money goes toward, and one area we never get a say in is how our taxes turn into military spending. it's time to change that! military might has always been the American response to xenophobia, fear of economic power in foreign lands, and greed for control of natural resources in other peoples' homes across the globe. the United States military is an enforcer of white supremacy and capitalism.
people who consider themselves progressive politically must work to deconstruct this cultural obsession with warfare and imperialism.
thanks for reading and let's all ruminate on this quote: