Today’s award goes to whoever in the French Army was responsible for this.
The French army top-brass were left red-faced when a mobile command post worth 600,000 euros [more than US $800,000], complete with military computers, was stolen, judicial sources said on Tuesday.
The modular command post system, which resembles a cargo container, was discovered during the search of a warehouse in Bobigny, northeast of Paris, that had been rented by a man suspected of fraud, a judicial source said.
The 20-foot (seven-metre) unit contained computers with “non sensitive” data on them, a source close to the inquiry said.
The army noticed the command post was missing from its Montlhery barracks south of Paris during an inventory on July 18.
Investigators suspect someone inside the barracks of involvement with the theft as the command unit can only be moved by a flatbed truck.
There’s more at the link.
Let’s see. Someone managed to sneak a very large, very expensive containerized command post (which presumes it was actually commanding something) out of a (nominally) secure military establishment where thousands of personnel live and/or work . . . and no-one noticed a thing? Tell me, what else might spies succeed in removing from that establishment, if they really tried? A main battle tank? Perhaps even a tactical nuclear missile on its transporter? After all, both can be moved more easily than a bloody great free-standing container!
I suspect someone’s promotion (not to mention pension) prospects in the Armée de Terre have just taken a sudden nose-dive . . .
Peter
But no wine or cheese was stolen. Focus on the important stuff!
It was flying white flags on all four corners as it was being moved, so all appeared normal.