The Pentagon on Friday vowed to take concrete action to thwart potential “insider threats” to avoid a repeat of the Fort Hood shooting spree blamed on an army officer.
Military and intelligence officials have come under criticism for possibly missing an array of warning signs about the suspected gunman, Major Nidal Hasan, in the attack in November last year.
DETECTING SIGNS
In response to an earlier independent review of the rampage, the Pentagon issued a report outlining measures designed to detect dangerous signs from within the military’s ranks.
The steps include improving information sharing among government agencies on possible threats, ensuring commanders have access to key information in personnel records and training commanders to spot potentially volatile behavior among troops, the report said.
“These initiatives will significantly improve the Department’s ability to mitigate internal threats, ensure force protection, enable emergency response, and provide care for victims and families,” US Defense Secretary Robert Gates wrote in an introduction to the report.
SAFEGUARDING LIBERTY
Gates added that the department would “make every effort to safeguard civil liberties” even as it tries to defend against new threats.
Hasan, an army psychiatrist, has been charged with the murder of 13 people in the Nov. 5 attack at the Fort Hood military base in Texas, in which 42 people were also wounded.
Hasan is being investigated for links to Islamic extremism, including his contacts with a radical cleric now in Yemen who blessed the killing spree.
The earlier independent inquiry into the shooting said several army officers failed to properly supervise the suspected gunman and should be held accountable.
IMPROVING RESPONSE
A US Army spokesman said on Friday it remained unclear if those officers would be disciplined for their role.
In light of the Fort Hood shooting, the report said the Pentagon would improve and expand emergency response services and warning systems at military bases.
The US Defense Department also planned to carry out three scientific studies to “deepen our understanding of internal threats” and help detect “behavioral indicators of violence and radicalization,” the report said.
To evaluate the potential for violence among soldiers before or after deployment, mental health assessments of troops would also include new questions on a soldier’s work, finances and personal life, it said.
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