WASHINGTON (AP) — Another intruder broke into the home of Air Force One, one of the nation’s most sensitive military bases, and this time a resident opened fire on the intruder, Joint Base said. Andrews in a statement Monday evening.
During the incident, which occurred around 11:30 a.m. Monday, “a male gained unauthorized access to a JBA housing area,” Joint Base Andrews said in a statement posted to Twitter. “A resident discharged a firearm, security forces arrived on the scene to apprehend the intruder and law enforcement are investigating the incident.”
Joint Base Andrews is home to the presidential fleet of blue and white aircraft, including Air Force One, Marine One and the “doomsday” 747 aircraft that can serve as the nation’s airborne nuclear command and control center if needed.
The Air Force said Monday night it had nothing to add beyond Andrews’ statement about Monday’s intrusion.
This isn’t the first time base security has been breached; in February 2021, a man passed through the military checkpoint onto the facility and then through additional secure fenced areas to access the flight line and board a C-40, which is the military’s 737 equivalent used to fly government officials.
This intruder was apprehended because the “mouse ears” cap he was wearing seemed odd to an observant airman.
An Inspector General’s investigation revealed three major security lapses, starting with ‘human error’ by a gate security guard who allowed the man to drive onto the base even though he had no identification authorizing his access. Hours later, the man walked undetected on the flight line slipping through a fence designed to restrict entry. Finally, he got on and off a parked plane without being arrested, even though he was not wearing a mandatory badge authorizing access to the restricted area.
