December 12, 2005: The U.S. Navy uses vast areas of the ocean for various types of training, Much of this activity is secret, and the locations of what is done where is not made known to the general public. But sometimes information leaks out. For example, recently, the Department of Defense sent a letter to Congress asking for cooperation in keeping oil development work out of an area 375 kilometers west of Tampa, Florida, and north to the Florida panhandle. The request pointed out that "drilling structures and associated development would be incompatible with military activities, such as missile flights, low-flying drone aircraft, weapons testing, and training," It’s unusual for the Department of Defense to get involved in a hot topic like this. There is a lot of opposition to allowing oil companies to explore in this area, and drill for whatever oil and gas they find. No one expected the Department of Defense to come out on the issue. But there it is.