REACTION TO ARMY FORT HOOD REPORT FROM HSGAC SPOKESWOMAN

WASHINGTON – Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Communications Director Leslie Phillips released the following statement Tuesday in reaction to the Army’s final report on the Fort Hood shooting:

           “The final reports issued by the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines today on lessons learned from the attack at Ft. Hood fall short of explaining why 13 Americans were killed over a year ago – namely that we are threatened by violent Islamist extremism and that an Army major who made public statements supportive of this murderous ideology was not stopped by his superiors.  It is disappointing that these final reports fail to mention violent Islamist extremism and do not offer explicit policies or procedures to make sure that service members who become radicalized to violent Islamist extremism are identified, reported, and discharged.   

 “The Military Services’ final reports highlight the need for the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s independent, bipartisan investigation of the government’s performance prior to the attack. Senators Lieberman and Collins will soon issue their own report, which will include recommendations for DOD to deal directly and effectively with the deadly threat that violent Islamist extremism poses to our service members.  As the recent terrorist plots to blow up planes with cargo bombs and murder civilians in subways show, this vicious ideology continues to threaten our security. ”

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