Terrifying scenes as ‘Apocalypse Now’-style military training rattles SoCal — and why it could continue for years

Military helicopters, simulated gunfire and flash grenades rattled Pasadena, Long Beach and other Los Angeles-area suburbs this week — exercises that could reportedly continue in Southern California for years.

Federal officials say large-scale tactical training exercises could continue across the region for the next two years as law enforcement agencies gear up for a series of major international events, including the FIFA World Cup, the Super Bowl and the Olympics.

The recent operations in Pasadena, Irvine, Long Beach and Industry, have drawn attention from residents who were caught off guard by the late-night urban warfare drills.

According to FBI spokesperson Laura Eimiller, the exercises are part of routine preparedness efforts involving federal, state and local partners.

She said the bureau regularly trains with a range of specialized units, including SWAT teams, bomb technicians, dive teams and crisis negotiators.

“We train on a regular basis, whether it’s our dive team, our SWAT team, our bomb techs, crisis negotiators, we have many specialty teams that conduct training on a regular basis with our partners,” Eimiller told the Orange County Register. “With the upcoming FIFA Games, upcoming Super Bowl, and upcoming Olympics, there may be additional training with additional partners, but we conduct training on a regular basis.”

One of the most noticeable exercises took place Wednesday at the former St. Luke Medical Center on Washington Boulevard in Pasadena and near Alton Parkway and Irvine Boulevard in Irvine. 

Local officials issued social media alerts after residents reported seeing helicopters and tactical personnel engaged in military-style scenarios.

The training continued Thursday, when officials in Long Beach and Industry warned residents they could hear loud explosions overnight as more exercises got underway.

While some community members criticized the timing of the drills and the limited advance notice, federal officials argued the preparation is essential as Southern California gets ready to host some of the world’s biggest sporting events.

“I think taxpayers would be happy to know we do prepare and we do train for anything that could occur,” Eimiller said.

The FBI is now considering broader public outreach following the strong reaction to the recent exercises.

Eimiller said residents may begin seeing public notices explaining that FBI-led training activity will increase in areas tied to upcoming events.

“We’ll put out a social media post saying, ‘You’ll see more training with the FBI and with local partners due to the upcoming special events going on in our territory. Especially in specific areas where games will be taking place,’” she said.

The security push comes as Los Angeles prepares to welcome visitors from around the globe for the FIFA World Cup, which begins June 11 and runs through July 19.

Planning efforts are also underway for the Super Bowl and the Olympics that will follow.

The exercises have also sparked questions from local leaders. 

Last September, during a rare gathering of top US military officials in Quantico, Virginia, President Trump voiced an interest in utilizing domestic cities as military training sites.

“And I told [Secretary of Defense] Pete [Hegseth], we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military,” Trump said in the speech.

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