Dugway Army base on lockdown

SALT LAKE CITY — The commander of an Army base in Utah, which works on how to protect troops against biological and chemical attacks, said it was on lockdown while trying to resolve a "serious concern."

Military weapons are tested at Dugway Proving Grounds, located about 85 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. Its primary mission is defending troops against biological and chemical attacks.

Colonel William E. King did not provide any details in a statement, but said food and beverages were being brought in.

"As you know measures like these (lockdown of our gates) are not taken lightly," he said, according to KSL.com. "No one is in immediate danger but these steps are required."

The gates would be re-opened "as soon as I can," he added.

Base spokeswoman Bonnie Robinson told The Associated Press early Thursday that officials hoped to have the problem resolved shortly.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported that a lockdown began at 5:24 p.m. MST Wednesday, with no one allowed in or out of the base.

There were about 1,200 to 1,400 people at Dugway at the time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41288977/ns/us_news-life/

KSL.com

Dugway Army base on lockdown January 26th, 2011 @ 10:44pm
By Wendy Leonard

DUGWAY -- The U.S. Army's Dugway Proving Ground was on lockdown Wednesday evening as part of "an ongoing security operation," according to spokeswoman Paula Thomas.

Reports of nearly 1,000 employees stranded at the base, some in their cars, went unconfirmed but Dugway Proving Ground Commander Col. William E. King, IV, said food and beverages were being brought in.

"As you know measures like these (lockdown of our gates) are not taken lightly," he said. "No one is in immediate danger but these steps are required." King said he would open the gates "as soon as I can."

The gates to the facility were closed prior to the 5:30 p.m. shift ending. Workers normally scheduled to go home were not allowed to leave, while those coming into the area were also not let in.

Dugway encompasses more than 800,000 acres of Utah's west desert, where more than 2,000 people call home. It is a government-owned facility used by the U.S. Army Reserves and the U.S. National Guard for maneuver training. It is also a U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command center where tests are occasionally run on defenses against biological and chemical weaponry.

E-mail: wleonard@desnews.com

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Comment by Inkedscorp on January 28, 2011 at 3:53pm: http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index1441.htm

Interesting article about this situation

Comment by Metalchemist on January 27, 2011 at 7:42pm: Bet they did.

Now there could be a VX attack somewhere in America.....Wonder where it came from?

"El CIA Duh."

Comment by Petalrose on January 27, 2011 at 3:36pm: Can anyone do a google map to hone in on that site-maybe for more info? I don't google anything or I would do it myself. Tks

Comment by Goddessofm51 on January 27, 2011 at 10:01am: Seriously scary shit! Most of my family is in Utah...

Comment by truth on January 27, 2011 at 9:27am: Hmm, look who stopped by 12160
Visit Detail
Domain Name (Unknown)
IP Address 140.196.24.# (USAISC Dugway Proving Ground)
ISP USAISC Dugway Proving Ground

Comment by truth on January 27, 2011 at 8:45am: Lockdown lifted at Dugway Army base

January 27th, 2011 @ 5:53am

By ksl.com

DUGWAY -- Dugway Proving Ground has reopened after nearly 12 hours in lockdown.

People who work on the base had to spend the night in their offices or cars because they weren't allowed to leave. That changed around 5 a.m. as those on base were allowed to leave and those showing
up were allowed to enter.

No word on the cause of the lockdown. Dugway says it should be able to release that information later this afternoon. Workers KSL spoke with Thursday morning say they do not have clearance to talk
about the cause of the lockdown.

Wednesday, spokeswoman Paula Thomas said it was part of "an ongoing security operation." No one was said to be in immediate danger.

Food and beverages were brought in for those who were stranded. The gates to the facility were closed prior to the 5:30 p.m. shift ending.

Dugway encompasses more than 800,000 acres of Utah's west desert. It is a government-owned facility used by the U.S. Army Reserves and the U.S.
National Guard for maneuver training. It is also a U.S. Army Test and
Evaluation Command center where tests are occasionally run on defenses
against biological and chemical weaponry.

More than 2,000 people live on post in Dugway. There are schools within the grounds -- an elementary, middle, and high school. Dugway also includes a car wash, post office, and veterinary clinic.

Many people also commute to the base from Salt Lake and Tooele.

In 1968 chemical weapons tests at Dugway killed 6,400 sheep when a nerve agent drifted off the proving ground during an open air test. Several years ago the Army looked at whether chemical and
biological defense tests at Dugway hurt the Utah environment. The Army
found the tests have no dire impact.

Dugway Proving Ground is highly secure. The public is typically not allowed on base, which is about the size of Rhode Island.

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Story written with information from Wendy Leonard