One key way Executive Order 9066 was used was to authorize the forced removal and exclusion of people from designated military areas on the U.S. West Coast during World War II. Specifically, it allowed the Secretary of War and military commanders to designate military zones and exclude "any or all persons" from those areas, which led to the mass removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans in relocation centers further inland. Although the order did not explicitly mention Japanese Americans, it was applied almost exclusively to persons of Japanese descent, resulting in about 112,000 men, women, and children being forcibly relocated and confined in camps. This action was justified under the guise of national security to protect against espionage and sabotage during the war