Former Army secretary to aid Hood probe

[unhappycamper]

Former Army Secretary Togo West will help lead a Pentagon probe into the Fort Hood shootings.


Former Army secretary to aid Hood probe
By Anne Gearan - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Nov 19, 2009 21:25:18 EST

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon said Thursday it will scour its procedures for identifying volatile military service members hidden in the ranks, following the Fort Hood shooting rampage, and lapses that might allow others to slip through bureaucratic cracks.

“It is prudent to determine immediately whether there are internal weaknesses or procedural shortcomings in the department that could make us vulnerable in the future,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.

A 45-day emergency investigation will examine personnel, medical, mental health, discharge and other policies in all corners of the vast Defense Department. It will also look at ways to improve security and emergency response at Defense Department facilities.

“The shootings at Fort Hood raise a number of troubling questions that demand complete but prompt answers,” Gates told a Pentagon news conference.

The quick review will be led by two former Pentagon officials, former Army Secretary Togo West and former Navy chief Vernon Clark.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/11/ap_army_hood_investigation_111909/