Intruder Caught at Joint Base Andrews

Intruder Caught at Joint Base Andrews

Unwanted person wandered unencumbered for hours before boarding military plane

A distracted gate guard allowed an unauthorized man to illegally enter Joint Base Andrews, where he roamed for about five hours. He also climbed aboard a C-40 Clipper, an aircraft frequently used by senior government leaders.

The incident occurred on Feb. 4, and an investigation found that the man gained access when the guard was distracted, and allowed the man to drive through the base entry. Three failures were identified by the Inspector General’s (IG) office.

  1. Once on base the many roamed “unencumbered” for more than five hours, visiting the facilities food court and passenger lounge.
  2. Upon leaving the lounge, the man wandered around outside, and found a partially open gate leaving access leading to the flight line.
  3. Once on the flight line, military staff failed to observe the man walking toward the aircraft, and staff on the flight line did not challenge his presence.

The C-40 had been left open for aircrew communications training, and crew on the aircraft failed to challenge the man when he boarded. The man was wearing dark pants, and a dark jacket, and carrying a backpack as though mistaken for a civilian contactor. However, the man didn’t fit in on the base because he was wearing a bright red-pink hat with balls on top, meant to resemble mouse ears. Once the man left the aircraft he was arrested by military police, but only when someone in the passenger terminal alerted security. He was then turned over to local police. The investigation also discovered that the man had consumed alcohol prior to entering the base.

The man could have roamed a lot longer had an airman not reported him, according to Lt. Gen. Sami Said of the Air Force OIG, who briefed reporters. The review also determined that Presidential aircraft were safe at all times.

The presidential 747 aircraft is stored at Joint Base Andrews, however, the IG noted that it was “safe at all times under a more robust security layer within a protected self-contained area manned by armed security personal.”

Featured

  • Survey: 54% of Organizations Cite Technical Debt as Top Hurdle to Identity System Modernization

    Modernizing identity systems is proving difficult for organizations due to two key challenges: decades of accumulated Identity and Access Management (IAM) technical debt and the complexity of managing access across multiple identity providers (IDPs). These findings come from the new Strata Identity-commissioned report, State of Multi-Cloud Identity: Insights and Trends for 2025. The report, based on survey data from the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), highlights trends and challenges in securing cloud environments. The CSA is the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment. Read Now

  • Study: Only 35 Percent of Companies Include Cybersecurity Teams When Implementing AI

    Only 35 percent of cybersecurity professionals or teams are involved in the development of policy governing the use of AI technology in their enterprise, and nearly half (45 percent) report no involvement in the development, onboarding, or implementation of AI solutions, according to the recently released 2024 State of Cybersecurity survey report from ISACA, a global professional association advancing trust in technology. Read Now

  • New Report Series Highlights E-Commerce Threats, Fraud Against Retailers

    Trustwave, a cybersecurity and managed security services provider, recently released a series of reports detailing the threats facing the retail sector, marking the second year of its ongoing research into these critical security issues. Read Now

  • Stay Secure in 2024: Updated Cybersecurity Tips for the Office and at Home

    Cyber criminals get more inventive every year. Cybersecurity threats continue to evolve and are a moving target for business owners in 2024. Companies large and small need to employ cybersecurity best practices throughout their organization. That includes security integrators, manufacturers, and end users. Read Now

Featured Cybersecurity

Webinars

New Products

  • Mobile Safe Shield

    Mobile Safe Shield

    SafeWood Designs, Inc., a manufacturer of patented bullet resistant products, is excited to announce the launch of the Mobile Safe Shield. The Mobile Safe Shield is a moveable bullet resistant shield that provides protection in the event of an assailant and supplies cover in the event of an active shooter. With a heavy-duty steel frame, quality castor wheels, and bullet resistant core, the Mobile Safe Shield is a perfect addition to any guard station, security desks, courthouses, police stations, schools, office spaces and more. The Mobile Safe Shield is incredibly customizable. Bullet resistant materials are available in UL 752 Levels 1 through 8 and include glass, white board, tack board, veneer, and plastic laminate. Flexibility in bullet resistant materials allows for the Mobile Safe Shield to blend more with current interior décor for a seamless design aesthetic. Optional custom paint colors are also available for the steel frame. 3

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.” 3

  • Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden Door Controls is pleased to announce that, in response to soaring customer demand, it has expanded its range of ValueWave™ no-touch switches to include a narrow (slimline) version with manual override. This override button is designed to provide additional assurance that the request to exit switch will open a door, even if the no-touch sensor fails to operate. This new slimline switch also features a heavy gauge stainless steel faceplate, a red/green illuminated light ring, and is IP65 rated, making it ideal for indoor or outdoor use as part of an automatic door or access control system. ValueWave™ no-touch switches are designed for easy installation and trouble-free service in high traffic applications. In addition to this narrow version, the CM-221 & CM-222 Series switches are available in a range of other models with single and double gang heavy-gauge stainless steel faceplates and include illuminated light rings. 3