Securing Mississippi's Military Bases

Staff Sergeant Ed Stanton at the National Guard Headquarters in Jackson

How secure are military installations in Mississippi? Following last week’s killings in Fort Hood Texas, MPB's Lawayne Childrey reports Mississippi National Guard Officials remain vigilant.

There are 5 Army and Air National Guard installations in Mississippi. Public Affairs Director, Tim Powell says while officials continue to monitor the developments of last week’s shootings at Fort Hood, there are no immediate plans to change security procedures at bases in this state.

“They man the gates, they search the cars but soldiers do not walk around with their weapons. When they come in from the field or come in for a firing range they are all accounted for. They break them down, they clean their weapons. They are given to the amour, they are locked in a rack and then the vault is locked. The soldier does not have access to that weapon.”

Officials say potential threats to Mississippi's Guard Installations are continuously monitored and assessed. At the National Guard Joint Forces Headquarters in Jackson, Staff Sergeant Ed Staton says he feels extremely secure.

“We’ve got wonderful security forces and you know a lot of tremendously patriotic individuals here. I don’t really have a concern about this facility at all. But I thinks what happens at in fort Hood, or any place, is just ah, absolutely never know.”

Staton believes what happened at Fort Hood is a classic example of why vigilance is needed not only on military bases but all aspects of society.

“We have to be aware of our surroundings in this ever changing world. And if you see activities that somebody is doing or if you just see anything about an individual that causes concern then you should take it to the authorities.”

There are currently about 13 thousand members of the Mississippi National Guard. For MPB News, I'm Lawayne Childrey.