What does the VA aka Veterans Administration need with 11 MILLION Dollars worth of guns and Riot Gear?

"The Department of Veterans Affairs bought more than $11 million worth of weapons, ammo and other security equipment between 2005 and 2014, according to a report released last month by a non-profit organization that tracks spending across the federal government.

The report, called The Militarization of America and published by OpenTheBooks, said the VA acquired a variety of pistols -- Berettas, Sig Sauers, Lugers -- and ammunition, as well as body armor, police batons, ballistic shields, riot shields and helmets, night gun sights, tactical equipment for crowd control and more.

The $11.6 million in weapons and gear includes $200,000 for night vision equipment, $2.3 million on body armor, more than $2 million on pistols and about $3.6 million on ammunition, the report said. A chart included with the report also shows a variety of training weapons and a night gun scope."

And what happened to the VA calling the Federal Protective Service Police when they need help? After all the FPS Officers ARE Commissioned Police Officers whereas the VA Police are in reality nothing more than Contract Security Officers.  Back in the early 90's when I was a Contract Security Officer, the laws of Missouri and St. Louis City and County, I had more authority than the VA Security guards who were only licensed as "Watchman" with no Powers of Arrest and were FORBIDDEN to carry a weapon.  I was a Licensed Security Officer with the Powers of Arrest and I was an ARMED Officer.  The VA Guys would call our roving patrol or call for FPS whenever they had a problem, because that was ALL they could LEGALLY do.  The VA Regs forbid any but FPS and Cross-Sworn Licensed Security Officer's from entering VA Property while carrying a firearm.  They even forbid St. Louis CITY Police Officers from entering armed.

So what happened that NOW, the VA has it's own Police Force and is arming them with enough gear to fight their own private little war?  More empire building?  Or something else?