Went out to Fort Bliss today: commissary, barber shop and Class 6. Security is a lot tighter: there were two soldiers, not private security guards, at each entry; they really gave us the beady eyeball. They were wearing body armor, too. Some cars and ALL trucks were being pulled over for a closer inspection. I saw in the paper today that the two gates to Biggs, now known as 'Bliss East', are closed to all except military personnel and DOD civilian employees; I doubt I could get on with my retired ID card. Not incidently the headquarters of the 1st Armored Division is on Biggs. Evidently they have information that something is afoot, and are taking precautions. The sign at the entrance still shows Force Protection Condition Alpha, but they're operating somewhat above that level.

Bliss isn't more than about five miles north of the border, well within range of any Hamas-type rocket that could be fired off two forked sticks in the general direction of the post. I'll keep my AR 15 near at hand, just in case 'they' are planning some sort of incursion on foot.

Is there a benefit in posting this?

Ft. Bliss Increases Security - Judicial Watch

Sort of concerns me as I still have family and friends in El Paso.

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Hold my beer and watch this!

I benefitted greatly from the post. It is always nice to get on-the-scene, "eyeball" information from a source who is familiar with the area. I am a long way from Ft. Bliss, but I know people who are stationed there, as well as some at Ft. Hood.

Did it really chap you for Cyrano to impart first hand information to us?

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Georgia On My Mind

Britain is on high alert for an attack from the loons,I would imagine we are too.

I live in the area and read the report in the paper as well. The military doesn't react this way unless they have some intel. Last week the Border Patrol alert status was raised. Intel agencies are fully aware ISIL would like nothing better than to infiltrate across the border. My home is about three miles from the Mexican border and maybe slightly less from NM. The highway from here to Columbus, NM is pretty much a stretch of open desert, easy path for infiltration especially with all the attention and resources drawn to southern Texas by the underage immigrants streaming across the border. An unsecured southern border is extremely dangerous in this day and time. This situation should not be tolerated.

Thousands of people cross the border at El Paso unchecked everyday. I was the only one questioned the day I crossed and I have blue eyes. They are more worried about drugs than anything else.

What is the problem with posting this?

I am glad that someone is finally taking the problem on the border a little more serious. The border here in Texas is very porous despite what Harry Reed says.

Yeah, it's pretty much wide open at times here in AZ. I'm like some of the others, waiting for something to happen. I don't expect anything really big but I do believe that before long something will happen.

Thanks for posting this.

Whut? There's a border?

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Dum vivo cano

The border is where our construction workers, cooks, dishwashers, landscapers, maids, etc. come from. They'll cross the desert to do that. Americans won't cross the street for those jobs.

Nico, What part of illegal don't you understand???

I didn't mean to stir up a hornet's nest, just an observation on what life here is like. So far, 11:00 pm, I haven't heard any explosions in the area so all is still quiet.

OLDNAVYMCPO: It's a lot easier, now that they have a wide, paved road from El Paso to Colombus. I remember when it was a dirt road, mot of it consisting of old railroad bed; very bumpy. We used to go out to Indian Basin on weekends, looking for arrowheads. A whole cartel army could have been behind any of the sand dunes and we'd have never known it. I carried a Ruger Security Six, 6" barrrel, in 357 and had it sighted in for 100 yards. Sometimes I carried a rifle too.

zzzipper: I have blue eyes too. At a recent Archeological Society meeting, the speaker told us there had been some DNA extracted from Neanderthal burials. All the individuals tested had blue eyes; guess I've some Neanderthal genes running around inside me.

Cyrano -

Thanks for letting us know that the Army is finally taking base defense seriously. Were the gate guards MP's? How were they armed? They may need more than pistols if this heats up.

In the news, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia warned that ISIS will be in Europe in a month and here in two, if not checked. He was gravely concerned.

That the UK has gone on high alert means something. They've probably intercepted some messages.

Part of my old stomping grounds, we'd drive that trail, or go out to the calderas called Kilbourne/Hunt hole for shooting and parties.
Ahh the good old days when Surfer's Hill was the place to be.
The East Siders had Red Sands and Hueco tanks.

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Hold my beer and watch this!

I live fairly close to the other border. I've been hearing news reports about how many Canadians went over to join ISIL. Estimates are around 100 or so; they don't know for sure.

Seattle's population is fairly diverse and fairly apathetic to the current situation in the Middle East.

Vancouver B.C. has a large East Indian and Pakistani population and Middle Easterners would blend right in.

Just saying, if a terror attack wants the most attention, go where people won't expect it and where security is lax.

Aloha,

We live close to Kaneohe Marine base.
Recently, I've noticed the base has tightened up security in checking papers of people going on base more often.

I understand that Ft. Bragg has tightened up security, can anyone confirm this? Thanks.

Remember the old ADA saying, " If it flies, it dies".

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CSM, U S Army(Ret) 1963-1990

Is there a detriment ?

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Retired Career Security Guard

As a former ADA officer I thought the motto was "shoot them all down, sort them out on the ground". My Air Force friends didn't like that one too much. Unfortunatly the Air Defense Center has moved to Ft Sill, and Ft Bliss is now a FORSCOM post with the 1st Armored Division there.

Gunslinger 808: Brings back old memories. I remember once we camped with another couple and their kids at Indian Basin over a long weekend in the late '70s, probably a Labor Day. We got tired of our own cooking and decided to go into Colombus for supper, stumbled onto a town fiesta, I think to raise money for a new fire truck. Half of the people therre must have been from Palomas. There was a raffle for a hunting rifle, I remember it as a Winchester M 70 in 270. There was dancing somewhere, we didn't look into that as we were a little too scruffy from camping (I dance like a pregnant cow anyway). They had cleared out the fire house and the ladies of the town had prepared a buffet dinner; all home cooking and delicious, but you had to have an asbestos gullet for some of it. The National Guard (200 AAA) supplied an M 42 Duster and they gave the kids rides. Periodically it would come ratttling past, accompanied by a huge dust cloud and punctuated by the squeals of excited kids. Happy memories.

Colombus has got pretty dour now; I took my friend from New Zealand there 5 years ago to see the Pancho Villa raid site, and we couldn't get a beer anywhere.

I remember that Kilbourn Hole had a bad reputation for tough characters hanging out there. We went arrowhead hunting there several times, but I had my Ruger Security Six at hand.

Something's up for sure. I've NEVER seen as many DPS State Troopers and Sheriff Departments vehicles on I-20 as has been there the past few days. The police scanner is alive with traffic, and they're stopping anything that even looks suspicious. And that's a few hundred miles North of the old border.

I haven't been on Bliss is a while. I just go on with my father who is retired, but lately I've chosen not to tag along.

I didn’t mean to rile people up by asking “Is there a benefit in posting this?”; my thoughts were nothing more sinister than wondering out loud how smart an idea it is to post on the Internet the security measures at a military installation. Perhaps I could have worded it better. Redlevel’s retort to me “Did it really chap you for Cyrano to impart first hand information to us?” makes me feel like I’m over at usacarry dot com, where people seem to get nasty in a hurry. Sorry to all whom I offended with my post, especially the OP. I meant no harm to anyone.

I wasn't offended, and I didn't mean to get nasty. I just wondered what harm you can find in a first-hand report by a forum member of information that was and is available to anyone with eyes to see, and who is interested in such things. It isn't like he is giving out information that is top secret, hush-hush security stuff. Heck, some of the information Cyrano shared was from a newspaper article.

My assumption, and it was evidently wrong, was that you were sort of accusing Cyrano of fanning the flames of hysteria, so to speak, rather than a concern about security issues. Sorry about that.

You and I have both been here long enough to know that "nasty" posters usually don't hang around too long before they are given the boot.

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Georgia On My Mind

There could be. Having had higher level AT/FP OPSEC training we generally never comment on changes in security. Could be random measure to break up patterns of activity which bad guys monitor. Do not make the bad guys job easier. Reading about a security change is safer for the bad guy than the bad guy in the field where they may be observed during their scoping of the target. Also make yourself look prepared bad guy looks for an easier target. Just like prepping your home against burglars.

Aloha,
We just got a flyer from the Marine base that on 9-9, they will be having a "Force Protection Exercise".
And not to be "alarmed" by delays or increased traffic on the street we live on.
2 days before 9-11?
Coincidence?

Maybe Archie Bell and the Drells are playing on base.

Thursday is 9-11. I don't think I'll go anywhere near Fort Bliss.

I believe Thursday is actually the 11th, but I'm with you. I really wouldn't want to be on or near any military base, nor would I want to be in any metro area. I believe I will stay in the wilds of Georgia. It might just be tin-foil stuff, but I have a bad feeling about this 9-11.

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Georgia On My Mind

Well, we'll see if there's a pre-october october surprise - it's an election year, after all!
I'm not saying, I'm just saying...

I was kinda expecting something on the 7th but guess not. However, the 11th is coming, so we'll wait and see.

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Slim, U.S. Army, Ret.

VT. Shooter, try living along the border like some of us do and then ask this question. Kinda like asking what about the masses when you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth.

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Slim, U.S. Army, Ret.

It's easy to say but with the goings on of the last several years military bases should be on high alert anyway.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I believe that Marie Antoinette said, "Let them eat cake," cake being cheap.

But look where that got her!

Our Marines, here at Camp Lejeune, are shooting the big guns, night and day in this rain so they won't set anything on fire, but to get ready for when ever they are needed. They are also practicing moving the big tanks back and forth across the New River behind my house on temporary bridges. This is the most activity that I have seen in months, and I live next to the base!

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Doc Garrett
Dead Man's Doctor

I certainly won't rule out attacks on military bases, esp. overseas. But terrorists are largely cowards and a civilian target is even more likely. Attacks on cities also promote the most terror.

Of course, with most soldiers unable to go armed on post, even military bases are vulnerable. I've posted here before about the nut with an AK-47 who was shooting up Fairchild AFB, WA some years ago. He was dropped with a single 9mm bullet from some 80 yards by a base cop with his Beretta.

Massad Ayoob has written about this several times in gun magazines and has even interviewed the USAF cop.

Unfortunately, our aircrews are usually so poorly trained that they have little confidence in their pistols, and this got one pilot captured in Iraq. Had he gone prone and used his M-9, I think he could have kept hostile villagers at bay until A-10's arrived. They were minutes away. But that requires skill with a handgun, and many pilots don't fire them much and even have an elitist or weapon-phobic view of them and don't bond with their sidearms. I think many are too squeamish to use a knife in battle. Probably have no knife training, either.