Fort Hood Shooting Report: Warning Signs Were 'Missed' and 'Ignored'

Jan. 15, 2010 — -- The Pentagon gave itself a harsh assessment in the aftermath of the Fort Hood shootings, and could pursue disciplinary action against several officers who "failed to comply" with policies in place to get rid of officers who were unfit.

In an 86-page report released Friday, Defense Department investigators determined that the procedures in place meant to head off violent behavior are "outdated" and "incomplete."

The review commissioned by Defense Secretary Robert Gates called the failures "significant" and "in need of immediate attention."

Published reports suggest as many as eight Army officers could face sanction for not cutting short the military career of accused shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, even as he was showing signs of erratic behavior and professional problems in the years leading up to the shooting.

"It is clear that, as a department," said Gates, "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."

READ THE FULL REPORT HERE

Hasan faces 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder for the November 5 shooting at the Texas Army base. The 39-year-old major, the Virginia-born son of Palestinian immigrants, had exchanged numerous e-mails with radical Muslim cleric Anwar Awlaki in the year prior to the shootings, asking Awlaki about jihad and whether it was acceptable to kill American soldiers.

The report looked at issues specific to the Fort Hood case – such as signs that were missed that the alleged shooter was becoming radicalized -- and broad systemic problems that suggest the military is not doing enough to protect against violent outbursts.