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The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command is investigating a serious equipment and ammunition theft from the US Army’s Fort Hood base. A quantity of ammunition and Chemical, Biological, Radological and Nuclear equipment has been stolen from a storage cage at Fort Hood in Texas.
Fort Hood is home to over 45,000 troops of the US Army’s III Corps, First Army Division West which included the 1st Cavalry Division, 89th Military Police Brigade and the 48th Chemical Brigade. The missing equipment was reported stolen on the 28th August, with the Criminal Investigation Command investigating the theft of 61 M50 protective gas masks (the Army’s standard issue CBRN mask since 2009, made by Avon Protection Systems), three AN-UDR-13 Radiac Test sets (these are compact portable radiation detector used for detecting Neutron/Gamma radiation dose and Gamma dose rate) and a quantity of pistol and rifle ammunition taken from a secure storage cage.
Criminal Investigation Command’s Chief of Public Affairs Chris Grey confirmed that 240 rounds of 5.56x45mm rifle ammunition and 230 rounds of M882 9x19mm pistol ball ammunition had been stolen but did not elaborate on the type of rifle ammunition taken.
The estimated cost of the loss of equipment is relatively small but the gas masks cost upwards of $150 each and the UDR-13 Radiac Test sets reportedly cost in the region of $700. The Investigators have not released any information on who may have taken the equipment but are asking anyone with information to contact the Fort Hood Criminal Investigation Command office or report online via their website.
The equipment theft follows a recent active shooter alert false at Fort Hood which made local and national news. The alert turned out to be a false alarm with, the bases’ command later posted a statement on facebook explaining that: “Directorate of Emergency Service police officers responded to a 911 call of an active shooter in a building here. Upon investigating, it was determined there was no emergency… the building alarm had been inadvertently activated at which time the system was reset.”
