A bluish-green light was observed over the skies of California on the evening of Saturday November 7, 2015 at approximately 6pm (PST). The strange light was seen by numerous people throughout Southern California with speculation on the social media that the object may be a UFO. An astronomer from the Griffith Observatory hypothesized the strange light as possibly being a comet or meteorite. [1]
The light was reported as far away as Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, and Mexico. [2] Following the mass sighting, the Malibu-Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station and Orange County Sheriff’s Department both stated that the unidentified light was due to a military exercise by the Navy off the coast of Catalina Island. [3] According to the Coast Guard, the missile test was launched by Point Mugu Naval Base in Ventura County. [4]
A report from the Kern County Fire Department stated that the rocket was launched from Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert. [5] However, later that night, the Pentagon issued an official statement which said, “Navy Strategic Systems Programs conducted scheduled Trident II (D5) missile test flight at sea from USS Kentucky, an Ohio Class SSBN, in the Pacific Test range off the coast of Southern California”. [6]
Aside from the conflicting reports in regards to where the rocket was launched from, training exercises are a normal function of the military. However, why test a submarine-launched ballistic missile early in the evening over one of the most populated cities in the United States? The Navy has stated that a public warning for this test was not given due to its’ classified status. The only public forewarning of this test was a report of airplanes surrounding LAX being diverted due to secret military exercises. [7] The rerouting of commercial aircraft near LAX is in effect from 12am to 6am until November 12, 2015. Why have that particular time frame when the SLBM was tested on Saturday evening around 6pm?
The fact is the missile test was meant to be highly visible. The mass sighting was not unanticipated nor a matter of Navy incompetence. The test-fire was executed outside of the specified timeframe, which means the U.S. government wanted this test to be witnessed by as many people as possible. An SLBM’s sole purpose is to strike targets with thermonuclear weapons. This exercise is a public display of the U.S.’ military capability. Furthermore, it is a warning to Russia and China which is why this test-fire was done over the Pacific Ocean.
It is a reaffirmation that U.S. foreign policy is based on warfare. The U.S. government is aware of its waning superpower status and exercises like this display its’ desperation in maintaining that image, even though a multi-polar world has developed. It should be noted that un-named officials have stated that the military exercise was “to prepare forces for upcoming overseas deployment”. [8] Another aspect to wanting this mass sighting is to measure the public’s perception and reaction over the mysterious light.
The social media flood via Twitter and Instagram displayed the public’s immediate panic which allowed for posts to be extracted for analysis and subject to data mining. A second Trident missile was tested off the California coast on Monday November 9, 2015. [9] This second test-fire was in the afternoon, which is outside of the specified time frame as well. Lastly, I conjecture that the military is testing stealth technology following these mass sightings. The public does not generally look up at the sky, but this will not be the case for the current period. It is reasonable to think that many people will be looking at the sky, especially since the military has stated that testing will not end until November 12, 2015. I deduce that aerial stealth technology is currently being tested in the Southern California sky for the remaining duration. If the public does not spot anything unusual in the sky, then this stealth technological testing will pass the military’s specifications.
Andrew J. Santos holds a B.A. in Ethnic Studies from the University of California, Riverside
Notes
[1] Desiree Salas, “Mysterious Blue Light Baffles LA Residents [Photos]” November 9, 2015
[2] Samantha Tatro and Bridget Naso, “Witnesses Report Seeing Bright Light Across Southern California Sky” November 7, 2015
[3] Melissa MacBride, “Naval missile test flight causes bright light to streak across sky” November 7,2015 http://abc7.com/1073739/
[4] Yama Hazheer, “Gallery: Bright flying object seen in the sky; confirmed Naval test fired off the coast” November 7, 2015
http://kron4.com/2015/11/07/bright-flying-object-seen-in-the-sky/
[5] Jan Mabry, “Strange, Mysterious Lights In Skies Over California Was Missile Test” November 7, 2015
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/11/07/reports-strange-mysterious-lights-in-skies-over-california/
[6] Tracy Bloom, Erin Myers, Ellina Abovian, and Mark Mester, “Mystery Light Seen in SoCal Sky Sparks Speculation; Pentagon Confirms It Was Missile Test” November 8, 2015
[7] Jory Rand, “ Secret Military Operations To Divert LAX Planes For A Week” November 7, 2015
http://abc7.com/news/secret-military-operations-to-divert-lax-planes-for-a-week/1072890/
[8] Ibid
[9] Meg Wagner, “Navy launches second test missile over California”
November 10, 2015
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/navy-launches-test-missile-california-article-1.2429151
