Gates names West, Clark to lead Fort Hood review

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AP – Defense Secretary Robert Gates, left, accompanied by Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen.

By PAULINE JELINEK and ANNE GEARAN, 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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