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| Gates orders security fixes after Fort Hood case |
| 2010-04-16 |
| Defense Secretary Robert Gates has ordered a partial overhaul of Defense Department safeguards against terror-like attacks after a scathing report found that the department's policies were "unclear" or "inadequate" to prevent the mass shooting that killed 13 soldiers at Fort Hood in November. Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Hasan is charged in the shootings that also wounded 31. Secretary Gates ordered the department to: * Fully institute a department-wide FBI threat reporting system to handle suspicious incident activities. * Establish an Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense to work directly with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. * Strengthen significantly DOD's anti-terorrism training program. Secretary Gates based his recommendations on earlier findings that: * DOD's commitment to the Joint Terrorism Task Force is "inadequate," resulting in "inconsistent" coordination with the FBI. The Joint Task force knew well before the shooting that Hassan was in communications with an al Qaeda sympathizer and recruiter but that was not reported to DOD or the military. * Commanders and supervisors do not always receive information about individuals who may commite violent acts. * Counterintelligence training does not address "emerging threats including self-radicalization" that may contribute to potential violence. Hasan was known to have gone off on Islamic-related religious rants and expressed strong opposition to Muslims in the US military serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. * DOD policy prohibiting certain supremacist or extremist behavior is "unclear" and "limited," when it comes to individual behavior. * DOD does not have a comprehensive cyberspace counterintelligence program to alert authorities to "non-foreign intellligence" on potential threats. Gates' recommendations came as Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman and ranking member Susan Collins threatened to issue subpoenas to the Defense and Justice Departments on Monday if the Obama administration fails to turn over information the panel needs to conduct its inquiry of the Fort Hood shooting. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #10 What Gates ordered seems like a pretty lukewarm response; that which one would expect from a bureaucrat: threat reporting system, appoint an Asst. Secretary of Defense to work with DHS, strengthen anti-terrorism training program. Not far away is Oak Ridge, the city behind a fence during WWII. Security was intense. People kept their lips zipped. Secrecy was of the utmost priority. Oak Ridge was not even on maps of the area. Today, you would be confronted by armed security in most secure DOE areas. You might get shot if you would not comply with directives when ordered by security. One would think security at military bases would be as good. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2010-04-16 19:46 |
| #9 Thanks, Procopius2k. As usual, your comment is most helpful. |
| Posted by: Sherry 2010-04-16 13:17 |
| #8 When the military was gutted from 750,000+ during the 90s Peace Dividend to 480,000 by 2000, executed both by the Donk White House and Trunk Congress, the Army choose to downsized detention facilities. The only long term warehousing of miscreants is the US Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth. Since the individual is going to face courts martial, he remains in the jurisdiction of the Command having that authority, which is in this case, Fort Hood. They do not have long term holding facilities, so it's 'contracted out'. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-04-16 11:03 |
| #7 Civilian question here -- Hasan was recently transferred from Brooke in San Antonio to the Bell County jail in Waco. There were so many people around him, it looked like every SWAT team in Texas was there! Why the county jail? I would think he would be in the Army jail system. Or is this the normal when murder is committed? |
| Posted by: Sherry 2010-04-16 10:50 |
| #6 * Establish an Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense to work directly with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force Establish a new ASD SES position complete with an office of loyal minions. Always the Gov't answer. Nobody gets FIRED, more HIRED! |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-04-16 07:57 |
| #5 Gates' recommendations came as Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman and ranking member Susan Collins threatened to issue subpoenas to the Defense and Justice Departments on Monday if the Obama administration fails to turn over information the panel needs to conduct its inquiry of the Fort Hood shooting. Gates order appears to be the first time the word 'terrorism' has been used by the gov't in the Hasan case. Issue the subpoenas anyway. You've been LIED to. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-04-16 07:41 |
| #4 * DOD's commitment to the Joint Terrorism Task Force is "inadequate," resulting in "inconsistent" coordination with the FBI. The Joint Task force knew well before the shooting that Hassan was in communications with an al Qaeda sympathizer and recruiter but that was not reported to DOD or the military. Bullshi* flag down! More Gates doubletalk. The local Criminal Investigation Office (CID) at Fort Hood had liaison with and possibly a designated representative(s) at or from the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). Think about it! Law enforcement from the largest military installation in CONUS has NO coms with the JTTF and the SAC in WACO? What does Gates think the word 'Joint" means? How is it now that it is DoD and the Army's "inadequate commitment" that is at fault? Bottom line...the Bureau was monitoring or using Hasan as an intelligence source and purposely told the Army NOTHING about it! Nice, quiet little operation....until the source went POSTAL on them. Once again, Army takes the hit and DoJ/FBI slide by. Nicely done Gates. Nicely done indeed. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-04-16 07:35 |
| #3 OF course OS. don't you realize who the 'real enemy' is? |
| Posted by: abu do you love 2010-04-16 01:16 |
| #2 They are, however, further restricting personal firearms on Army installations and quarters, to further insure that the entire base is full of completely unarmed victims for the next guy who manages to sneak a firearm on post. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2010-04-16 01:14 |
| #1 so where is the requirement to court martial the derelicts that allowed Hasan to continue? i don't really see anything that puts a top to all the PC bull sh!t that caused this. i think gates has been ther too long and has been drinking from the bumble kool aid dispenser, he needs to go, along with the political pos hack secnav. |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2010-04-16 00:24 |