Overview
- The investigation details a premature detonation of an M795 round with an M767A1 electronic fuze during an Oct. 18, 2025 Camp Pendleton demonstration, scattering shrapnel that struck a CHP cruiser and motorcycle with no injuries reported.
- Investigators cite no definitive cause and note potential contributors that include unusually tight howitzer spacing and possible exposure to anomalous electromagnetic energy.
- The round exploded about 1,480 feet in the air roughly 3,300 feet from the firing point, the first volley was halted immediately, and a plan to fire 60 rounds in five minutes was canceled.
- The White House Military Office told investigators it did not employ electronic countermeasures, and the report records the fuze’s manufacturing tolerance as roughly one defect in a million with only one prior malfunction noted.
- Political scrutiny continues as Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 17-mile I-5 closure and a formal inquiry from 26 House members and both senators press defense officials on the decision to demonstrate live fire over a public freeway.