Investigation: Hundreds of Military Explosives Missing, Some May Have Killed Innocents
Mil & Intel
By Dustin Jones | December 03, 2021
The Army recorded 1,900 instances of missing military explosives and ordnances, including C4, TNT, rockets, and armor-piercing grenades, from 2010 to 2020, an investigation by The Associated Press found. Reporters with the AP unearthed the losses this week just as Congress was working to pass legislation that could require each branch to report missing explosives and firearms at the end of each year.
According to the AP, a lack of oversight — coupled with theft, forged documents, and a flawed honor system — resulted in hundreds to thousands of instances of missing explosives in the last decade. And though some missing military explosives and ordnances are eventually recovered, according to the AP, the stolen munitions sometimes claim innocent lives.
The AP found that an artillery shell exploded in a Mississippi recycling yard this past August, leaving one man dead. Local law enforcement found another shell — this time intact — two days later. The AP reported that investigators believe it came from Camp Shelby, an Army National Guard base approximately 40 miles away, but a National Guard spokesperson said there was no evidence to suggest it came from the camp.
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