Alert Issued for 17 Afghan Military Members AWOL From U.S.A.

[IceHogsFan]

A nationwide alert has been issued for 17 members of the Afghan military who have gone AWOL from a Texas Air Force base where foreign military officers who are training to become pilots are taught English, FoxNews.com has learned.



The Afghan officers and enlisted men have security badges that give them access to secure U.S. defense installations, according to the lookout bulletin, "Afghan Military Deserters in CONUS [Continental U.S.]," issued by Naval Criminal Investigative Service in Dallas, and obtained by FoxNews.com.



The Afghans were attending the Defense Language Institute at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. The DLI program teaches English to military pilot candidates and other air force prospects from foreign countries allied with the U.S.



"I can confirm that 17 have gone missing from the Defense Language Institute," said Gary Emery, Chief of Public Affairs, 37th Training Wing, at Lackland AFB. "They disappeared over the course of the last two years, and none in the last three months."



Each Afghan was issued a Department of Defense Common Access Card, an identification card used to gain access to secure military installations, with which they "could attempt to enter DOD installations," according to the bulletin. Base security officers were encouraged to disseminate the bulletin to their personnel.



A senior Defense Department official in Washington told Fox News he had no direct knowledge of the 17 men being AWOL. The official added that this is not the first time foreign trainees have gone missing, and said some cases in the past have turned out to be more of an immigration concern than a national security threat.



http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/06/17/afghan-military-deserters-missing-air-force-base/

 

[bri]

Why would they give any foreigner access to secure military installations or information? I understand they are here for training, but it is just plain stupid to give them free reign. We are our own worst enemy.

 

[LarmersOneTimer]

BRILLIANT!

 

[sth]

Don't worry about this it looks bad but it is not that bad. To be invited to one of these training programs you are grilled big time. If you have a hint of a tie to Al Qaeda or the Taliban you have no chance. Not to mention they all left separately so I think we have a case about guys who liked America and didn't want to go to Afghanistan. I don't blame them who wants to go to Afghanistan?

 

[bubbleheadchief]

[quote name="bri"]Why would they give any foreigner access to secure military installations or information? I understand they are here for training, but it is just plain stupid to give them free reign. We are our own worst enemy.[/quote]

You're reading more into it than is there Bri, which is what Foxnews wanted, as they have a tendency to slant everything to "look how dumb our military is".

The Afghans had access to the installation not to information Bri, and trust me, they do not have free reign as you put it. This program they are talking about has been established for years. First they teach them English, then they teach them how to fly the airplanes that their govt bought from ours. These people go through severe background investigations by their own country, then they go through one done by our agencies. And like sth said, even a sniff of ties to anything, and they are turned down and put on a "permanent ban list" which is completely different from that no fly list you hear about with TSA.

 

[IceHogsFan]

The concern for me was not so much the military aspect of it.



What was concerning is once again we have more people floating around

within our borders and we have no idea where they are. If it is was not a

little bit concerning then why was an alert issued.



You could actually subtext this article/ discussion under illegal immigration.

 

[bubbleheadchief]

[quote name="IceHogsFan"]The concern for me was not so much the military aspect of it.



What was concerning is once again we have more people floating around

within our borders and we have no idea where they are. If it is was not a

little bit concerning then why was an alert issued.



You could actually subtext this article/ discussion under illegal immigration.[/quote]

I agree with you that it is concerning. I naturally am going to have a vested interest in it simply because I am military. My ocncern is that they can still possibly get on the base itself, if the people they have on the gate are being lacksadasical in their duties. They will have an extremely hard time getting into any secure areas (not that I remember any being on Lackland). I was at Lackland for 3 months for my MP training (I know that for us Navy people they are called MAs, no one else here would know that) and if I recall correctly, they still use active duty on the gates there.

I am willing to bet an alert was issued as each one went missing, and an updated list was sent out, and that is what the press got a hold of, and keyed in on the fact that it is 17 Afghanies.

I also agree that it is more than likely simply another case of illegal immigration...or a modern variation of defection. "I like the freedoms I have here, and really dont want to be in the military or fly planes for my home country, see ya"

 

[IceHogsFan]

I was trained for Security Police (now referred to as Security Forces) at Lackland.

The only base that I have visited in the last few years is Ellsworth AFB in Rapid City

and have done so several times in the last couple years and will do so again in August

while out there for the Sturgis Bike Rally. I can tell you that the gates of the installation

that I used to work when it was a nuclear base are now manned by an outside security

firm contracted which makes no sense to me. I wonder if that is the same on other

installations?

 

[bubbleheadchief]

[quote name="IceHogsFan"]I was trained for Security Police (now referred to as Security Forces) at Lackland.

The only base that I have visited in the last few years is Ellsworth AFB in Rapid City

and have done so several times in the last couple years and will do so again in August

while out there for the Sturgis Bike Rally. I can tell you that the gates of the installation

that I used to work when it was a nuclear base are now manned by an outside security

firm contracted which makes no sense to me. I wonder if that is the same on other

installations?[/quote]

For the most part, yes. For the outer security gates, they use private firms. I can tell you for inner security areas, depending on "what" is in there, it is active duty military.

 

[IceHogsFan]

Back in the mid 80's while stationed at Ellsworth we had 1,500 Security Police there.

Our nuclear arsenal assigned to the base between nuclear loaded and alert B-1's and

the missile fields assigned to it was so large that we were told if South Dakota could have

succeeded from the USA it would have been the third largest nuclear entity in the world. I

never worked missile security only aircraft and elite guard.



You have never seen security until you have witnessed a DOE convoy transporting a

nuclear warhead. Scary stuff and I was assisting security with them and was ready to

drop a load.

 

[TSD]

The more likely motive in the scenario, imo, is these dudes didnt want to go the **** back to Afghanistan. "Hey we kind of look like mexicans? we can be illegal immigrants too!"





I like how you guys on your bases had all kinds of security. When my Guard unit had a homecoming when the guys came back from Afghanistan Right after I got out of AIT, myself and about 10 other guys were charged with security, because there was a rumored threat at the armory for the homecoming. So we got up in full battle rattle and they gave us M-16's with empty magazines. They didnt trust us with loaded weapons, and said if something does happen, just make them really beleive its loaded or throw rocks, that is so fucking busch league.

 

[IceHogsFan]

TSD, all of our weapons were loaded in the USAF. Pull the bolt back and round is in the chamber ready to roll with your M16. Of course, on my M60 or M203 it required a slight amount more of work to load rounds but they were sitting at my side in the cannister.

 

[bubbleheadchief]

[quote name="IceHogsFan"]TSD, all of our weapons were loaded in the USAF. Pull the bolt back and round is in the chamber ready to roll with your M16. Of course, on my M60 or M203 it required a slight amount more of work to load rounds but they were sitting at my side in the cannister.[/quote]

I never pulled any duty where I wasnt locked and loaded. As far as the missiles that make landscapes into glass parking lots, I can't discuss.

 

[IceHogsFan]

[quote name="bubbleheadchief"]

I never pulled any duty where I wasnt locked and loaded. As far as the missiles that make landscapes into glass parking lots, I can't discuss.[/quote]



Navy is bound to be completely different then my experience with nukes in the USAF.

No Lone Zone allowed me the opportunity to jack up a few individuals during my day.

 

[TSD]

[quote name="IceHogsFan"]TSD, all of our weapons were loaded in the USAF. Pull the bolt back and round is in the chamber ready to roll with your M16. Of course, on my M60 or M203 it required a slight amount more of work to load rounds but they were sitting at my side in the cannister.[/quote]





I suppose the idea of a bunch of weekend warriors Locked and loaded around a plether of civilians didnt make our CO all that comfortable. Considering all the guys that were doing security were pretty much fresh out of Basic/AIT. I am aware of how the weapon functions we had to qualify every year.

 

[sth]

Re: Alert Issued for 17 Afghan Military Members AWOL From U.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/01/us/01 ... r=1&ref=us



Ok I'm now even less worried. 13 of the 17 have been found. And 8 have facebook pages lol. Many have been detained and others went to Canada.

 

[PatrickSharpRules]

Re: Alert Issued for 17 Afghan Military Members AWOL From U.

FoxNews=Ecklund

 

[JOVE23]

Re: Alert Issued for 17 Afghan Military Members AWOL From U.

[quote name="sth"]Many have been detained and others went to Canada.[/quote]



Maybe because it's half past one in the morning, but this is really funny to me.

 

[winos5]

Re: Alert Issued for 17 Afghan Military Members AWOL From U.

It became news worthy because they were Afghan. Had they been Costa Rican or Polish no big deal.

 

[IceHogsFan]

Re: Alert Issued for 17 Afghan Military Members AWOL From U.

EXCLUSIVE: Number of Afghans Gone AWOL in U.S. Reaches 46



http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/07/07/exclusive-number-of-awol-afghans-reaches-46/