WASHINGTON, June 7 (UPI) -- The theft of U.S. military personnel data from a Department of Veterans Affairs analyst now appears larger than thought, the Pentagon reports.
The data was on a laptop computer and external disk drive stolen from the Virginia home of an unidentified analyst on May 3. Now, defense officials say the database had names, birth dates and Social Security numbers for as many as 1.1 million active-duty military personnel, 430,000 National Guard members and 645,000 reserve members, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.
On May 22, Veterans Affairs said the database included as many as 26.5 million veterans who were discharged after 1975 or who had submitted benefit claims.
"Anytime there is a theft of personal information, it is concerning and requires us and our members to be vigilant," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told the newspaper, adding the loss is "the largest that I am aware of."
Montgomery County, Va., police spokeswoman Lucille Baur said there is a $50,000 reward for the return of the Hewlett-Packard laptop and disk drive.
