Personnel system under scrutiny in Fort Hood review
Task force will examine alleged shooter’s promotion and whether his patients received adequate care.
An independent panel selected by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to review circumstances surrounding the Nov. 5 shooting deaths of 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, will focus on the personnel policies and programs that led the Army to retain and promote Maj. Nidal Hassan, the psychiatrist charged in the killings.
Twelve soldiers and one civilian were killed in the attack; 30 others were hospitalized with gunshot wounds. Hasan is in custody at a civilian hospital in Killeen, Texas, where he awaits a military trial.
The independent review that Gates ordered will focus on programs, policies and procedural weaknesses within Defense "that create vulnerabilities to the health and safety of our employees and their families," according to the terms of reference guiding the review.
The review is led by former Army Secretary Togo West and former Chief of Naval Operations Vern Clark. Other members of the task force announced this week include: Army Gen. Carter Ham, commander of U.S. Army Europe; Vice Adm. Michael C. Vitale, commander of Navy Installations Command; Lt. Gen. Richard Newton III, Air Force deputy chief of staff for manpower and personnel; and Lt. Gen. Willie J. Williams, director of the Marine Corps staff.
Besides looking at the policies and procedures that led to the selection of Hasan for service in the Army Medical Corps as a psychiatrist and his promotion to major last spring, the task force also is charged with assessing "whether the care provided by the alleged perpetrator to patients and former patients met accepted standards."
Army officials previously declined to say what steps the service was taking to ensure Hasan's patients received appropriate follow-up care, as psychiatrists have recommended.
The task force also will assess the Army's efforts to support health care providers involved in caring for soldiers "suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental and emotional wounds and injuries." Ham is likely to play a significant role in this aspect of the review. The four-star general has publicly discussed his battles with PTSD following combat in Iraq in 2004.
In addition to examining the specific circumstances surrounding Hasan's career progression, the task force will look at whether existing policies and procedures can identify employees who pose credible threats to others; the adequacy of the department's force protection programs; Defense's emergency response capabilities; and the capacity to care for victims and families in the aftermath of a mass casualty situation.
The guidelines stipulate that the review must not interfere with two other reviews also under way -- a criminal investigation being conducted by the military and a review of intelligence matters related to Hasan directed by President Obama.
The task force is to report its findings, along with recommendations, by Jan. 15, 2010. A follow-on investigation into personnel matters is expected to take several months, according to a Pentagon spokesman.