Osan’s spike barrier system improves force protection at base’s gates
By Jim Lea, Osan bureau chief
Jim Lea / Stars and Stripes
Osan Air Base, South Korea, has added spikes at its gates. |
OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea — The 51st Security Forces Squadron
here installed a spike barrier system at base gates as a force-protection measure.
The system includes arms that block traffic lanes and spikes that
rise instantly from the pavement.
Master Sgt. Steven Estrada, squadron law enforcement superintendent,
said the aluminum arms that drop across access lanes aren’t designed to prevent gate
running. “They’re just a warning device,” he said. “The spike system
is located far enough away that the guard has time to activate it before gate runners
reach it.
“If people want to ignore the warning, the spikes will take care
of them,” he said.
The system is the result of Pacific Air Forces looking for more
effective gate control measures after some gate-running incidents in Japan, said Capt.
Robert Holesworth, squadron operations officer.
In fact, the system already has proved its merits.
Shortly after its installation, an intoxicated Korean riding a
scooter tried to run the main gate. The spikes quickly ended the attempt, according to
Capt. Robert Holesworth, squadron operations officer.
The scooter rider got a squadron coin for the dubious honor of being
the first person to cause the system to be deployed, he said.
There also have been a few incidents of gate-running at Osan over the
years, usually a result of the language barrier, thrill seekers or people trying to slip
unauthorized people on base for other than terrorist reasons. Estrada said there are no
documented cases of gate-running with hostile intent.
Holesworth said the spike system is “just one of many
force-protection irons we have in the fire.”
Both Holesworth and Estrada had one more caution for people using the
base gates: Don’t try to enter through outbound lanes, and suddenly decide to back up
when driving out the gates.
The spikes are always deployed on outbound lanes.
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