Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to U.S. Space Force Launches and Supporting Activities at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Vandenberg, California

NMFS, in response to the request of the U.S. Space Force (USSF), hereby issues regulations and a Letter of Authorization (LOA) to govern the unintentional taking of marine mammals incidental to launches and supporting activities at Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in Vandenberg, California, from April 2024 to April 2029. Missile launches conducted at VSFB, which comprise a portion of the activities, are considered military readiness activities under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (2004 NDAA). These regulations, which allow for the issuance of LOAs for the incidental take of marine mammals during the described activities and specified timeframes, prescribe the permissible methods of taking and other means of effecting the least practicable adverse impact on marine mammal species or stocks and their habitat, as well as requirements pertaining to the monitoring and reporting of such taking.