The Navy has entered an official request to raise the number of air-breathing marine mammals that it is permitted to injure in accidents during Pacific training, the Navy Times said in a story on Thursday.
The request followed collisions in the ocean with several whales in the sea off the Southern California coast in recent years, it said.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) told the Military Times that it expects to make a ruling on the request in spring 2024. US environmental groups have already signalled they will try and block the move, the Navy Times said.