Washington, D.C. – House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) released the following statement on DOD’s independent review of the Fort Hood shooting incident, chaired by former Army Secretary Togo West and retired Admiral Vern Clark:

“Today’s report raises serious concerns about processes within our military system that allowed Major Hasan to fall through the cracks. It is unacceptable that a number of red flags and performance deficiencies were identified but not reflected in Major Hasan’s official record, and we need to do everything we can to close these gaps in our system.

“I am pleased by how quickly the Department of Defense has moved to identify how such a tragic event was able to take place. Today’s report included a number of recommendations to keep this from ever happening again, and we expect additional recommendations in the coming months. I look forward to my Committee’s hearing next Wednesday with Secretary West and Admiral Clark to further examine the findings of this initial report.”

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