On Monday, a giant teddy bear was taken down by security on the Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas and it was all captured on video.
The video, which was posted to Facebook, shows a frolicking life-size teddy bear headed onto the base and bypassing the security post, Task & Purpose reported.
The teddy was tackled by security after dispatch was radioed, “gate runner, gate runner.”
You know, to thwart ISIS Teddy Bear attacks https://t.co/vA0AAjDffj
— Task & Purpose (@TaskandPurpose) October 3, 2018
Shortly after the intruder was apprehended, it was announced that the incident was just a training exercise for security measures and while it was “hilarious,” it was only for training purposes.
George Woodward, 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs Office said, “Like most of you, I had a good laugh at the video posted here yesterday of the big yellow bear at Sheppard’s main gate. It’s also, believe it or not, deadly serious. Think about what we ask of our military and civilian security forces airmen. They spend long hours in the heat of the day and the dark of the night defending our bases. We expect them to be aware and ready every moment to respond to any imaginable situation, and possibly make a split-second, life-and-death decision on the use of force.”
Woodward added, the service expects its security forces personnel “to make flawless, nearly instantaneous decisions in difficult, unlikely, and even bizarre circumstances. We teach them how to do that through training and, sometimes, admittedly unusual flight-level exercises. So absolutely, laugh — it’s funny! But the next time you pass that security forces airman at the gate, think about the heavy responsibility that comes with that job and those weapons. There’s nothing funny about that.”
Security exercises have been beefed up at military bases across the country as many have experienced vicious attacks or threats in recent years, Task & Purpose reported earlier this year.
In February alone, there were incidents of security breaches at Fort Meade Army base in Maryland, Naval Base Kitsap in Washington State, and Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia.
The following month, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling; Fort McNair; Fort Belvoir; and the Dahlgren Naval Surface Warfare Center were targeted when packages containing explosives were sent to the bases.
In April, a Colorado man tried to enter Peterson Air Force with a “minivan loaded with propane tanks.”
None of these incidents were terror-related, but they have forced authorities to rethink security measures on military bases.
