Increased Threat Level?

[charlie sherrill]

With cold weather coming in I decided to go to my nearest PX and stock up on cheaper non taxed human anti-freeze. It's about 50 miles from me so I go down several times a year and stock up on stuff I want to last. I had to check in at the visitor center as I was expired and was inside waiting to get my papers straight when I noticed four GI's pull up in Humvee. When they got out they all had long guns, body armor,etc. and they set up behind concrete barriers at the gate. Hmmm. I asked the retired Marine doing my paper work if something was going on. He said the threat level just went up and he didn't know why. Going through the gate I asked the Navy Police Officer what was going on and he said he didn't know either. The rifle guys, with some other stuff I couldn't see clearly didn't tell him anything. I went to the PX and I saw a couple of armored Hummers and more troops with what looked like twin 50's and a launcher of some sort behind a building. I'm glad they're taking precautions, but still curious if it was some kind of drill or the real thing. Normally the gate has two or three Navy Police or SP's armed with 9 mm Sigs and a surprise or two in the gate house. I hope it was just a drill of some sort. Anybody else notice anything like this?

 

[STCM(SW)]

Haven't been to the AF base for some time now.
Class 6 is a place I always hit when getting my meds .

 

[Breakaway500]

Id say with all the terrorism happening in the USA a higher level of defense was mandated.

 

[erikpolcrack]

I have seen a couple of articles lately in liberal mainstream papers about how the NOLA and LV incidents are illustrative of the growing extremism in the military. I didn't read the articles - that kind of anti-military nonsense makes me see red - but I guess this type of hype could influence some local commanders to beef things up - CYA, maybe.

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

There's a number of high profile events happening...a Presidential funeral...a Presidential inauguration...Trump is hosting a big rally just before his inauguration...all are driving the threat even higher simply because they're high profile events.

Add to that the recent events...assassination attempts...New Orleans and Las Vegas...it only serves to run security agencies ragged trying to keep up...no one wants anything to go wrong on their watch.

As the old saying goes...the bad guys only have to be lucky once...the good guys have to be lucky every time.

 

[Kanewpadle]

You can google DoD Threat Conditions. Where I work, we have never been below ThreatCon Bravo.

You wouldn’t believe the stuff that happens at military installations. We had a civilian run the gate last week. The barrier tore both axles from the car. The MP response was heavy.

What the OP describes, it was probably an exercise. The area of responsibility with perimeter security fall under military police. They can respond in humvees and MRAP’s but normally don’t.

 

[Rudi]

There are millions of illegal aliens running loose in the USA. I doubt the New Years Day attacks are the only ones we'll have to deal with. As I've said many times, we are in grave danger.

 

[AugieTN]

The biggest threat I see in the suburbs of Chicago are carjackings. They happen at any gas station, grocery store...etc... Watch out for 3 or 4 males driving slowly through a parking lot.

From the net:

In its year-end analysis of crime trends in 2023, CCJ reported that carjacking rates in a sample of 10 cities increased 93% from 2019 to 2023.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Glad they didn’t tell you . . .

 

[grover99]

"In its year-end analysis of crime trends in 2023, CCJ reported that carjacking rates in a sample of 10 cities increased 93% from 2019 to 2023". Been thinking about my pocket carry and know that no way can I get to my CCW quickly while in my car. Going to figure out a better way to carry.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

Rather ironic that for 4 years we have a SecDef who said his No. 1 priority was rooting out "extremists" from the military....
One another board a member with LE experience said he has seen so many cases of military personnel showing in full battle gear-and no ammunition.
Several recent veterans have told me the military gives short shrift to fireams training and qualification.

 

[Kanewpadle]

Rather ironic that for 4 years we have a SecDef who said his No. 1 priority was rooting out "extremists" from the military....
One another board a member with LE experience said he has seen so many cases of military personnel showing in full battle gear-and no ammunition.
Several recent veterans have told me the military gives short shrift to fireams training and qualification.

I don’t know. There are 100 different ranges where I work. On any given day it sounds like WWIII has started. Especially when they get the howitzers going.

 

[SMSgt]

Someone in NJ saw a drone.

 

[DWalt]

Unless you’re in a USAF specialty such as Security Forces, CAC, or pararescue, you are not given more than minimal small arms training, with little consideration given to whether you can hit anything or not.

 

[charlie sherrill]

Unless you’re in a USAF specialty such as Security Forces, CAC, or pararescue, you are not given more than minimal small arms training, with little consideration given to whether you can hit anything or not.

Pretty much what we had a NTC San Diego. In 16 weeks we had one trip to the range. We shot the 1903, M1 Garand, M1 carbine, 1911A1, and watched the range master shoot a Thompson. I got more experience shooting with the Marines on board the USS Springfield than I did at boot camp and that was only because they let me shoot with them. We would shoot 1911's and M14's at glass milk jugs thrown off the bow as we passed by them. Lots of good Navy shooters, but 90% of the aren't.

 

[CH4]

Fasten your seatbelts, I think things are just getting started.

 

[LVSteve]

Unless you’re in a USAF specialty such as Security Forces, CAC, or pararescue, you are not given more than minimal small arms training, with little consideration given to whether you can hit anything or not.

Sounds like what passed for "Ground Defence Training" in the Royal Air Force as related by my buddies who served.

One of them even had to demonstrate his prowess with a loose collection of parts that resembled a Browning Hipower with no ammo. Pretty much all pistols in the RAF at that time were knackered wrecks. He said they were taken outside on his station and had to shout "Bang" at appropriate times. Worse, they had to do it near the perimeter fence where there were children walking back from school. There were some "comments" yelled through the fence.

 

[SMSgt]

Unless you’re in a USAF specialty such as Security Forces, CAC, or pararescue, you are not given more than minimal small arms training, with little consideration given to whether you can hit anything or not.

I was none of the above and had to qualify annually most of my 20-year career. And we did have a pass/fail score that was considered.

 

[ladder13]

We don’t know what we don’t know.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

I saw a drone on Christmas Day at the Washington Crossing reenactment.