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The Washington Times Online Edition

Gates names West, Clark to lead Fort Hood review

This image provided by the U.S. Department of Defense shows Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates meeting with Police Sgt. Kimberly Munley at a hospital in Ft. Hood, Texas, on Nov. 10, 2009. Munley was a first responder who fired shots at the suspected shooter during the recent tragedy at the Army processing station in Ft. Hood on Nov. 5. Munley was injured during the shooting rampage at the Texas post that she has been credited with helping end by shooting the alleged gunman. (Associated Press)This image provided by the U.S. Department of Defense shows Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates meeting with Police Sgt. Kimberly Munley at a hospital in Ft. Hood, Texas, on Nov. 10, 2009. Munley was a first responder who fired shots at the suspected shooter during the recent tragedy at the Army processing station in Ft. Hood on Nov. 5. Munley was injured during the shooting rampage at the Texas post that she has been credited with helping end by shooting the alleged gunman. (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON — Trying to avert another tragedy like the Fort Hood shootings, Defense Secretary Robert Gates named a former Army secretary and former Navy chief to review a broad range of Pentagon programs, ranging from medical and personnel policies to how well military bases are secured.

Army Secretary Togo West and former chief of naval operations Adm. Vernon Clark will head the 45-day review.

“The shootings at Fort Hood raise a number of troubling questions that demand complete but prompt answers,” Gates told a Pentagon news conference. He said the review would seek to ensure the health and safety of military members and their families.

The review will try to find gaps in procedures for identifying service members who could pose threats to others, he said.

It also will assess personnel programs, medical screenings and release and discharge policies, as well as the department’s stateside security programs at bases and other facilities. The military’s ability to respond to incidents with mass casualties will also be considered.

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