Silent Bob
God Like
All the news agencies carried releases that their had been a shooting at Joint Based Lackland. According to one national media outlet, one officer and one enlisted member were killed in an apparent murder/suicide. What was interesting was that the reporter made the comment, "that investigators were trying to figure out how someone could get a weapon on the base in the first place, as only security force personnel are allowed to be armed".
Wow, so lets take a moment and discuss procedures on a base. Currently, unless I am mistaken, as I was just on a military base this week, the current Force Protection Threat Con (FPCON) is Bravo. It is an upgraded Bravo, where all personnel both military and civilians identifications are checked. Additionally, under this mandate, security force personnel randomly select vehicles for a vehicle inspection, but the vast majority of personally owned vehicles pass through military gates around the U.S. uninspected. Yeah, I'd challenge the first commander to tell me I am wrong on this one, unless they are lying and trying to cover their ###. I know their are some who will say, that transportation vehicles such as delivery vehicles are inspected 100 percent and this is true as, bases have upped their force protection tremendously since 2001, but still the threat remains that a lone gun man or group could with the right identification make it on a U.S. base. Only under FPCON Charlie or at the direction of the Wing/Base Commander can procedures in their FPCON response checklist reflect a tightening or lessening of these procedures.
If your living abroad, this FPCON is a bit more broader in the fact that, not only are the i.d. checked, but the random inspections are done more frequently and roving through out the many entry points at a base and also if necessary implementation of 100 percent I.D. checks at every building on base (this is not a practice state-side unless the base is under an exercise or Inspector General inspection).
Just to give you a clue as to why I state this. During a visit to the local base commissary and base exchange (like a small Walmart), the base was undergoing a exercise. Cones were placed in certain parking spots to give the impression that said personnel had walled off areas that vehicles could not park near a building (the old, we park the bomb vehicle and detonate it remotely). So like good retiree's, we park our car back and as we walk into the BX, we have our I.D's to be ready to be challenged....guess what, no one was checking and my wife even comments (note here, she was a dutiful dependent, who followed me on every overseas assignment), WTF, why are they not checking our I.D.'s and inspecting my bag. Yes, see my wife lived in some really interesting spots and she knows the FPCON's. Guess what...she says to the lady, why are you not checking and the employee just shrugs her soldiers. Yes, Sleepy Hollow U.S.A., so now you understand why JB Lackland had this incident...just as simple as why Fort Hood has had shooting. Given X, plus X, and X, add complicacy and a weak FPCON =
ing on base.
So today's comment by the reporter is inaccurate. The shooter had an intention to bring said weapon on base and murder an innocent member of the Air Force. It is unlikely based on current FPCON that the shooter would have been caught at the front gate or where ever he had made entry that day.
Lastly, yes their is a restriction policy that weapons cannot be brought or maintained on base, unless they are declared and surrendered to the base Security Forces armory or what ever service claims to control personal weapons that are declared. Each service has their own policies. I lived both in the barracks and base housing and each time I arrived, my entire weapon collection was placed in the base armory...and for those wondering, yes, its a pain in the ### to get them out too, even to take them hunting. When I go to base, my concealed weapon stays at home and my gun bin in my rig is emptied to include every round/magazine. Yes, I've been inspected and the Military Working Dogs have pinged my rig. So the process is effective, but again, random and not meant to catch the determined shooter.
Short of the military doing 100 percent inspections of all vehicles (never gonna happen because of cost and time), the only other idea would be to build a large xray machine similar to the ones that are used by TSA and well that is just a fantasy.
Oh and if your wondering, my wife and I pray each night before I head off to work the next morning, that some random human doesn't bring a gun to my workplace. Yeah, and I work at a place where we can't carry one for self-defense (not that I am advocating them).
Good preps to you all
Wow, so lets take a moment and discuss procedures on a base. Currently, unless I am mistaken, as I was just on a military base this week, the current Force Protection Threat Con (FPCON) is Bravo. It is an upgraded Bravo, where all personnel both military and civilians identifications are checked. Additionally, under this mandate, security force personnel randomly select vehicles for a vehicle inspection, but the vast majority of personally owned vehicles pass through military gates around the U.S. uninspected. Yeah, I'd challenge the first commander to tell me I am wrong on this one, unless they are lying and trying to cover their ###. I know their are some who will say, that transportation vehicles such as delivery vehicles are inspected 100 percent and this is true as, bases have upped their force protection tremendously since 2001, but still the threat remains that a lone gun man or group could with the right identification make it on a U.S. base. Only under FPCON Charlie or at the direction of the Wing/Base Commander can procedures in their FPCON response checklist reflect a tightening or lessening of these procedures.
If your living abroad, this FPCON is a bit more broader in the fact that, not only are the i.d. checked, but the random inspections are done more frequently and roving through out the many entry points at a base and also if necessary implementation of 100 percent I.D. checks at every building on base (this is not a practice state-side unless the base is under an exercise or Inspector General inspection).
Just to give you a clue as to why I state this. During a visit to the local base commissary and base exchange (like a small Walmart), the base was undergoing a exercise. Cones were placed in certain parking spots to give the impression that said personnel had walled off areas that vehicles could not park near a building (the old, we park the bomb vehicle and detonate it remotely). So like good retiree's, we park our car back and as we walk into the BX, we have our I.D's to be ready to be challenged....guess what, no one was checking and my wife even comments (note here, she was a dutiful dependent, who followed me on every overseas assignment), WTF, why are they not checking our I.D.'s and inspecting my bag. Yes, see my wife lived in some really interesting spots and she knows the FPCON's. Guess what...she says to the lady, why are you not checking and the employee just shrugs her soldiers. Yes, Sleepy Hollow U.S.A., so now you understand why JB Lackland had this incident...just as simple as why Fort Hood has had shooting. Given X, plus X, and X, add complicacy and a weak FPCON =
ing on base. So today's comment by the reporter is inaccurate. The shooter had an intention to bring said weapon on base and murder an innocent member of the Air Force. It is unlikely based on current FPCON that the shooter would have been caught at the front gate or where ever he had made entry that day.
Lastly, yes their is a restriction policy that weapons cannot be brought or maintained on base, unless they are declared and surrendered to the base Security Forces armory or what ever service claims to control personal weapons that are declared. Each service has their own policies. I lived both in the barracks and base housing and each time I arrived, my entire weapon collection was placed in the base armory...and for those wondering, yes, its a pain in the ### to get them out too, even to take them hunting. When I go to base, my concealed weapon stays at home and my gun bin in my rig is emptied to include every round/magazine. Yes, I've been inspected and the Military Working Dogs have pinged my rig. So the process is effective, but again, random and not meant to catch the determined shooter.
Short of the military doing 100 percent inspections of all vehicles (never gonna happen because of cost and time), the only other idea would be to build a large xray machine similar to the ones that are used by TSA and well that is just a fantasy.
Oh and if your wondering, my wife and I pray each night before I head off to work the next morning, that some random human doesn't bring a gun to my workplace. Yeah, and I work at a place where we can't carry one for self-defense (not that I am advocating them).
Good preps to you all
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