Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts said Thursday afternoon that a suspicious truck that sparked a bomb squad response, gate closure and evacuation has been cleared and normal operations are resuming at the base.
In an updated release, Hanscom said that the Vandenberg Gate remains closed, but personnel who had been evacuated from the area are returning to their facilities.
Officials originally reported that Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts had closed a gate and evacuated the nearby area after a suspicious truck prompted officials to call in the bomb squad.
Hanscom said in a release posted online Thursday morning that security forces detected something concerning during a routine inspection of the truck, which led to the closure of its Vandenberg Gate and evacuation of several nearby facilities. There are no injuries, Hanscom said.
Massachusetts State Police later tweeted that a bomb squad has responded to the truck at the gate, and asked news organizations to not fly helicopters over the base until the situation is resolved.
The State Police later added that the vehicle involved is a moving truck, and that officers have set up a perimeter extending 1,500 feet from the truck in all directions. The police also closed the exit from Route 2A to Hanscom while the situation is ongoing.
Hanscom is the home of the 66th Air Base Group, which is part of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, and has 10,000 troops, civilians and contractors stationed there. The 66th also supports about 130,000 retired troops, annuitants and spouses in the New England and New York areas.
Hanscom also hosts three program executive offices — Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence and Networks; Battle Management; and Nuclear Command Control and Communications. It started as the Bedford Army Air Field in 1942, when Massachusetts leased a newly-built airport near Bedford to the War Department for fighter squadron training.
This story is developing story and will be updated as events unfold.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
