As the video unfolds at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita, Texas, a giant teddy bear slowly waddles up the road toward the security gate at the entrance to the base. After briefly stopping to bust out a few dance moves, the bear suddenly makes a break for it, charging past the checkpoint — dropping stuffing all along the way — as a call of "gate runner, gate runner!" goes out on the radio. Base security can be seen charging after the bear.
The video was posted on the Facebook page Air Force amn/nco/snco on Monday and has been viewed 364,000 times as of Thursday afternoon.
In a statement given to Task and Purpose, George Woodward, spokesman for the 82nd Training Wing, explained that while the exercise was humorous, its purpose was "deadly serious."
"Think about what we ask of our military and civilian security forces airmen," Woodward said in the statement. "They spend long hours in the heat of the day and the dark of the night defending our bases. We expect them to be aware and ready every moment to respond to any imaginable situation, and possibly make a split-second, life-and-death decision on the use of force."