Coast Guard: ‘Routine exercise' intercepted on scanners

(NECN: Washington, D.C.) – A Coast Guard training exercise on the Potomac River near Washington, D.C. was mis-interpreted by the media, Coast Guard Chief of Staff Vice Admiral John Currier said on Friday. The exercise took place on September 11th, while President Barack Obama was returning from a ceremony at the Pentagon marking the eighth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. “During that exercise they were discussing their tactics, their training as they normally do on channel 81 which is a marine frequency, a discreet Coast Guard channel that was apparently intercepted by a member of the public,” Adm. Currier said. “They’re discussions were taken out of context and what we’re seeing is a reaction to a training exercise that was really just that.” CNN broadcasted on its live cable news channel that the Coast Guard was firing shots on the river on what was deemed a suspicious vessel. Currier said as part of its exercise, the Coast Guard aired simulated instructions to participants to fire 10 rounds and someone said “bang, bang, bang” to verbalize compliance. He described the exercise, which started at 9:30 a.m., as a “low tempo” drill. “This being a normal training exercise pre-planned, the coordination was minimal with other federal agencies,” Adm. Currier said. “I want to re-emphasize that no shots were fired, there was no suspect vessel, there was no criminal activity. This was a pre-planned, normal training exercise.” Material from The Associated Press used in this report.