Protecting our warfighters, families and civilians who live on military bases worldwide is an Army priority. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is testing new security measures to protect against high speed threats.
Check out the Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville for more information about the Active Vehicle Barrier System:
www.hnd.usace.army.mil
The U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, is a specialized agency of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Huntsville Center missions involve programs that are national or broad in scope; require integrated facilities that cross geographical boundaries; require commonality, standardization, multiple-site adaptation, or technology transfer; require a centralized management structure for the effective control of program development, coordination, and execution; or require services not normally provided by other Corps elements.
Audio:
NAT Sound
This technology is in place at 100 sites across the Army.
It's important to have this type of system in place to protect the installation from a high-speed vehicle threat. (Amber Martin)
Access Control Points are the army's first line of defense. Active Vehicle Barrier Systems being tested behind me are designed to protect the people who live and work on bases worldwide. This one is the largest in the army.
NAT Sound: 3 2 1 test barrier one.
What makes this barrier unique is the number of barriers that are in the response zone.
More than one million vehicles enter Fort Belvoir each month.
NAT Sound: 'Welcome to Fort Belvoir'
This system is a key tool to manage that volume of traffic while maintaining security.
The Corps' role is to provide certain access point control equipment at the ACP. So that is the ABS, guard booths and other equipment items. Those items are to provide enhanced security for the guards, ballistic protection and to increase the force protection of the installation
The system helps protect people by ensuring that if there is a threat approaching the installation that the guard has sufficient reaction time to see that threat approaching and to take those mitigating measures weather it is deploying that barrier system or taking another appropriate action but the equipment and the infrastructure at the ACP are the tools that the guards use to make sure the installation stays protected.
NAT Sound: We're going to raise this in test mode and then we are going to raise the power panel again'
This system will eventually be in place army-wide.
I think this program is important to the corps of engineers because it gives us the opportunity to give back to the soldiers and their families feel with this program we are helping to protect the people who protect us.
Mary Cochran, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
