In the Army a rifle is considered a sensitive item. You always have positive control. Apparently the AF doesn't view rifles the same way, tossing it in the back of a vehicle and figuring it will stay there. They should have had at least one person sitting with the box to maintain that positive control. The AF can't even manage a set of rifles, so how do we expect them to manage nukes? Oh right, they don't as we have seen from recent news stories.

Like the other fella said, control of sensitive items in the Army is a whole other world, it seems. From the time any 'sensitive item' is issued until it is returned to the arms room, the individual carrying it treats it like the air that he breathes, whether it's a weapon, gas mask, night vision, etc.

Sounds like the AF needs to flush its head gear before somebody gets hurt.

BTW, those rifles wouldn't bring anywhere near five grand, closer to one grand, maybe a bit more; and they would sell instantly, no questions asked. A guy trying to unload a dozen of them on the streets would probably be happy to take five-hundred per rifle. These aren't stinger missiles we're talking about.

So the Army has never lost anything? The Army has never had any weapons missing? Before you blame the entire Air Force, please look at your own track record.

How many civilians are working at the base, who were born in China, or other Asian countries. It only takes one bad apple. People are thinking the parts and the rifles were mistakes. I think the parts going to China were on purpose, and the rifles most likely are too. If so, I hope they catch this/these persons. It could be almost anyone, but I would start with civilians. Who isn't who they say they are. This shouldn't be that hard to trace.

Really? Weapons are the only thing I never saw get lost in the army. Soldier have it instilled in them to never loose a rifle. You worst day would be the day you lost your weapon. We have to account for each round we where issued by returning the spent brass.

This is way I believe army and marine veterans should get a pass on gun safety classes. No civilian class can teach gun safety better than a drill sergeant's boot.

What exactly does the spokesman mean, when he says that they are moving forward, moving on, "as a base"? They lost these dangerous weapons, and they are moving on? How about finding them before you move on, you careless idiots. At least you can start by sounding a bit more concerned about this. A pattern of incompetence is something to be worried about at a base loaded with weapons.

And re: Army strong, who cares how much they cost on the street? Can they kill a lot of people in a short time? Yes, so they need to go find them. I'm sure it would not be too difficult to find magazines and bullets in this state.

With semi-automatic AR-15's and their clones selling for $1500.00 to $2500.00 (just try buying a Bushmaster for under that), a full auto M-16 with the added feature of select fire would sell for whatever the seller wanted. $5000.00 for a weapon like that would not be out of the question at all. In fact, It be suprised if it wasn't more.

Demote the Bozo driving the Humvee.

Look at the Army goons jumping on this story. Now get back to work you goons.

If it weren't for Army goons you would be taking orders in Japanese working long days of manual labor in coal mines.

I'm a army vet. If we had had an army vet in the White House we would have had a president that better understood what the military is like.

How did the Air Force survive in Vietnam? The army was protecting the perimeter. When you protect yourself in war, you had best know where you weapon is at all times. You never leave your weapon. There is no excuse for a missing M-16. In the Army loosing these weapons would end your career.

I also saw much incompetence in the army. The M-16 was a poor choice of weapons. I felt I would have done better with a club. Even today, the M-4, is a unreliable rifle that requires much cleaning in a geography defined by dust and sand.

My happiest day serving was the day I finally rid myself of that piece of junk.

Could people find a forum to bash each others military branch.

It should be a concern for everyone when weapons go missing. Even with the massive logistics involved with keeping up with the Air Force supply chain.

RE: Goons?

The Air Force has always guarded the perimeter of air bases with their own Security Forces. They survived in Vietnam by using the Air Police. The Air Force has some of its finest members in the Security Forces career field and have sadly lost some of their finest in Iraq. Some Air Force Security Forces members have attended and completed US Army Ranger school.

I doubt you understand the workings and reasoning behind the US Govt going with the M-16 and now the M-4. The M-16 and M-4 are both fine weapons and have proven that in Iraq.

Whoa! Do not speak ill of the men and women in uniform. The unit who lost the rifles were from Oklahoma, not Hill AFB. A contractor, with a questionable record in the logistics field, made the mistake with the batteries. It was not the Air Force peronnel at Hill per se, so lay off the airmen!

Army personnel want to talk about "sensitive item accountability," but it was the Army that lost an M-4 with a fully loaded 30 rd mag AND a loaded M-9 in a joint-service detention facility in Iraq that I served at in 2007. So giver the Air Force a break. Stuff happens.

The reporter, Stephen Speckman, refers to the loss of "a box of M-16 assault rifles". It is not correct to refer to the M-16 as an "assault" rifle since it is people who assault -- not rifles. The term, "assault" rifle was invented by antigun activists (ie news reporters and editors) to demonize modern military-style firearms. A person could use just about anything as weapon to commit criminal assault or to assault a military objective. To single out a rifle as an assault weapon simply because it is black (in many cases), looks scary to the ill-informed, and has a large magazine capacity is comparable to referring to a reporter's typewriter as an assault typewriter simply because it is black (in many cases), looks scary to the ill-informed, and has a lot of keys. In fact, the missing rifles would more properly be called "training" rifles, since that is the only role for which most M-16s have ever been used and was the role they played on the day they were lost. Only a small percentage of M-16s are actually combat ("assault") veterans.