Hill Air Force Base looking for missing rifles
June 5th, 2008 @ 10:02pm
KSL team coverage

Top brass for the Air Force have been shown the door. The Air Force's chief of staff, Gen. Michael Moseley was fired today, along with Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates cited two incidents during the past year involving nuclear mix-ups that prompted the firings. Gates is setting up a task force to find how to improve accountability and control of nuclear weapons within the Air Force.




The case in the photo is similar to the rifle case that Hill and local law enforcement officials are trying to determine the whereabouts. Some of the embarrassing incidents within the Air Force are connected to Hill Air Force Base: Ballistic missile fuses mistakenly sent two years ago to Taiwan, and an F-16 involved in friendly fire at the Utah test and training range two months ago. Now Hill is missing several M-16 assault rifles.

The easiest explanation is the box the 12 M-16 rifles were in simply fell off the back of a truck. Soldiers who were using the rifles were coming back from training and didn't notice they were gone until they went to put them away.

Witnesses did report seeing a man in his 40s or 50s picking up the case and loading it into a light-colored, four-door vehicle. The man is described as heavy-set with gray hair that is balding on top.

Because the incident happened on base property, that man would have been credentialed or would have had a base pass. But officials say that includes a lot of people.

Maj. Shannon Smith explained why soldiers inside the truck wouldn't hear the case hitting the ground, saying, "It's so loud inside a Humvee, there's no sound-deadening material at all." Normally that wouldn't be that big of a deal, only that case had a dozen M-16 assault rifles inside.



"By the time we got there, probably about 10 to 15 minutes after it fell out of the back of the Humvee, it was already gone," Smith said.

It's just another embarrassing Air Force mistake Gates is tired of. He said, "I believe that we needed a change in leadership to bring a new perspective and to especially underscore the importance of accountability in dealing with these kinds of problems."

Today, Gates accepted the resignations of the two high-level Air Force commanders, Moseley and Wynne. Four officers, including three colonels, were also let go.

The mistaken shipment of ballistic missile fuses to Taiwan and a B-52 flying over America with armed nuclear-tipped missiles were the two big reasons for the change. This latest mistake at Hill involving missing rifles, although not loaded, doesn't help the Air Force's image.

Smith said, "Our hope [was] that somebody had picked this box up to get it out of the road, you know, to mitigate the road hazard. Then they got home and opened it up and said, 'Oh, crap! I've got weapons here,' and would bring them back."

However, now that it's been two days, Air Force officials don't believe the man has any intention of bringing the case back.

Base officials say they are working with local law enforcement to make sure they get the weapons back and say that is their No. 1 priority.

Whoever took these weapons, if they don't bring them back, they could be facing possible charges. It is illegal for a citizen to have this kind of weapon, so officials say the guns cannot be easily sold.

If you have any information on this case, you're asked to call police. You can also call base security at (801) 777-1852.


link to story

Lucky, the dupe has been found.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=717396

Smith said, "Our hope [was] that somebody had picked this box up to get it out of the road, you know, to mitigate the road hazard. Then they got home and opened it up and said, 'Oh, crap! I've got weapons here,' and would bring them back."

I need to go to bed. I read that as "F16's".

Quoted: Lucky, the dupe has been found. http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=717396

leave it to you dupe finders.

You know what would have been funny? Is if the guy who picked them up was an arfcommer,and was really savvy. He just drops the box of with the stripped lower receivers in the middle of the night!
Next thing you know,the parts will be for sale on the EE!

Gates has a reputation for not tolerating incompetence.

Quoted: I need to go to bed. I read that as "F16's".

I did that also