"We will pull out entirely by May 2003," one of the officials told NBC correspondent Jim Miklaszewski. The officials said the White House would launch a study to find alternative training sites.

Miklaszewski said the officials acknowledged that the White House was bowing to pressure from Latino activists and politicians, who have protested the Navy exercises on the island since a civilian guard was killed by off-target bombs in 1999.

The decision comes even as naval forces mustered south of the island Wednesday for maneuvers ahead of a new round of bombing exercises scheduled to begin Monday, and even as a Navy spokesman defended the training.

"We have the strongest Navy in the world and we need to keep our sailors trained in these type of conditions to keep it that way," said the spokesman, Lt. Corey Barker. "The actual bombing on Vieques Island is only a small, but important, piece of the puzzle in combat training."

NEW PROTESTS GREET EXERCISES
Puerto Rico Gov. Sila Calderon arrived on the small island Wednesday afternoon to attend a prayer ceremony with residents who want the bombing to stop. It was her first time on Vieques for the maneuvers since she took office in January.

"I wanted to be here to express to the people of Vieques that the Puerto Rican people are with you and that you are not alone," she said.

Next week’s maneuvers, which include the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, involve ships practicing attack formations, evading submarines and tracking torpedoes and planes.

About 75 protesters demonstrated outside Camp Garcia’s gates on Vieques, but the protests remained peaceful. More protests were expected to coincide with the dummy bombs being dropped on the range Monday.

During the last bombing exercises in late April and early May, about 180 people were arrested on charges of trespassing on government property. The Rev. Al Sharpton, Bronx Democratic Party Chairman Roberto Ramirez and New York state legislator Jose Rivera were among those arrested.

Sharpton was sentenced to 90 days because of prior civil disobedience arrests. The others received sentences of 40 days.

200 OFFICERS STAND GUARD
To prepare for this round of maneuvers, about 200 officers are to stand guard around the fence dividing the Navy from civilian lands and any protesters who try to enter the restricted area will be arrested, Puerto Rico’s superintendent of police, Pierre Vivoni, said Wednesday.

During exercises in April and May, the Navy criticized Vivoni for not helping Navy security control the protesters. "We will be more proactive in preventing any violations of the law," he said.

The Navy has used its range on Vieques, home to 9,100 people, for six decades and says it is vital for national security. Critics say the bombing poses a health threat, which the Navy denies.

Opposition to the exercises grew after a civilian guard was killed on the range in 1999 by off-target bombs. The Navy has since stopped using live ammunition. Islanders will vote in November whether the Navy must leave in 2003 or can stay, resuming the use of live ammunition.