Half a year after 31 pistols went missing from Fort Moore, the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division is increasing the reward offered for any help finding the weapons, as well as optics that have also vanished from the base.
A CID reward poster, shared to social media including the Army subreddit, offers up to $15,000 for “credible information” that can help find the pistols and gear or the people who stole them. Alongside the 31 M17 pistols, CID is also searching for two Enhanced Night vision Goggles and one AN/PAS 13D Thermal Optic. Those went missing between August and October. All of the gear and weapons were stolen from the Crescenz Consolidated Equipment Pool on Fort Moore.
The theft of the pistols was first announced to the public in June. According to the Army, the 31 M17s went missing from the equipment pool between March and May of this year. However, Army CID was only informed in May. CID initially put up a $5,000 reward for information on them in June, but now several months later, the reward has increased, along with the amount of equipment missing.
“On August 31, 2024 and October 1, 2024 respectively, the ENVGs and Thermal Optic were reported missing,” the reward poster notes. “Army CID is actively seeking any information relevant to the loss of the M17 pistols, ENVGs and Thermal Optic.”
Army CID confirmed the reward poster’s authenticity to Task & Purpose over the weekend but did not provide any additional details beyond what is in the notice.
CID asks that anyone with information on the missing gear and weapons contact Army CID’s Southern Field Office at 706-917-9115. Multiple claimants and the quality of the information could impact how much of the reward is given, per CID.
Fort Moore, located in Georgia, is a major training hub for the U.S. Army, and home to the Army Infantry School and Army Armor School. The M17 pistols, made by Sig Sauer, are the Army’s standard sidearm, replacing the M9. According to Army code, all of the weapons must be inventoried each month, with each gun accounted for by its serial number.
The missing gear and guns at Fort Moore are among several instances of military equipment stolen from bases in recent years. Missing weapons have ranged from rifles and a pistol assigned 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines at Camp Lejeune to a M240B machine gun from the Army’s National Training Center at Fort Irwin. At least 1,900 guns went missing or were stolen in the 2010s, according to an investigation by the Associated Press.
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