Another intruder has breached the home of Air Force One, one of the nation’s most sensitive military bases, and this time a resident opened fire on the trespasser, Joint Base Andrews said in a statement late Monday.
That intruder was apprehended because the “mouse ears” cap he was wearing struck an observant airman as odd.
During the incident, which occurred at about 11:30 a.m. Monday, “a man 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 scene to apprehend the intruder and law enforcement is investigating the incident.”
Joint Base Andrews is home to the fleet of blue and white presidential aircraft, including Air Force One and the “doomsday” 747 aircraft that can serve as the nation’s airborne nuclear command and control centers if needed.
The term “Air Force Once” refers to any plane carrying the president, and the past three presidents have each used multiple planes.
Boeing is currently modifying two Boeing 747-800 aircraft that will bear the Air Force One callsign when the president is onboard to replace the existing fleet of two aging Boeing 747-200 aircraft.
An inspector general’s investigation found three main security failings, starting with “human error” by a gate security guard who allowed the man to drive onto the base even though he had no credentials that authorized his access. Hours later, the man walked undetected onto the flight line by slipping through a fence designed to restrict entry. Finally, he walked onto and off a parked airplane without being challenged, even though he was not wearing a required badge authorizing access to the restricted area.
Officials have yet to announce the man’s motive. The Air Force said late Monday it did not have anything to add beyond the Andrews statement about Monday’s intrusion.
It remains unclear what kind of cap the intruder was wearing, whether a Mickey Mouse cap or a Halloween costume.
The base has been breached before. In February 2021, a man got through the military checkpoint onto the installation, then through additional fenced secure areas to gain access to the flight line and climb into a C-40, which is the military’s 737-equivalent aircraft used to fly government officials.
Some civilians questioned the security services at Joint Base Andrews, following the announcement about the intruder.
“Apparently you can just stroll in and check out airforce 1,” one Twitter user said, apparently in shock.
Take a look —
https://twitter.com/Joe__Dirt7/status/1623043754000060467
The Horn editorial team and Associated Press contributed to this article.