It was supposed to be a boisterous event at Camp Pendleton celebrating 250 years of the U.S. Marine Corps that included a live simulation of a beach assault by sea and air.

The plan involved Marines firing high explosive rounds from M777 Howitzers — artillery used to launch shells in wars in Afghanistan and Ukraine — into designated ranges. Federal officials last week insisted it would be done with “all safety precautions in place” and said no public highways would be closed .

But California officials expressed fears about those live rounds being fired over Interstate 5, which runs between the beach where the “landing” was taking place and the rest of the sprawling military installation.

Then, on Friday evening, the Marines did a test run without notifying state officials, firing ar

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