WASHINGTON — The military’s defenses against threats from inside its own ranks are outdated and ineffective, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said on Monday as he described the findings of an Army review of the Nov. 5 shooting spree at Fort Hood, Texas.
Several officers may be held accountable for failures in supervising Major Hasan during his psychiatric training in the Washington area, Mr. Gates said.
At a Pentagon news conference on Friday, Mr. Gates referred the recommendations to the Army for further review. He did not provide details, but the Associated Press said that as many as eight mid-ranking officers could face reprimands.
The preliminary review was conducted by Togo West, a former Secretary of the Army, and Adm. Vern Clark, a former Chief of Naval Operations.
“It is clear that, as a department, we have not done enough to adapt to the evolving domestic internal security threat to American troops and military facilities that has emerged over the past decade,” Mr. Gates said.The finding is the latest signal that the government has not achieved the smooth communications and agility among intelligence agencies that has been sought ever since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/16/us/politics/16hasan.html?emc=na© Janet Crain
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