Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates ordered the Defense Department to implement immediately a series of recommendations put forth by a panel he appointed to examine causes of the Nov. 5 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, in which an Army psychiatrist stands accused of killing 13 persons and wounding another 32. The changes, as suggested by the panel, would include adaptation of the FBI’s unclassified reporting system, and deployment of the Law Enforcement Defense Data Exchange System to all DoD law-enforcement agencies. Also, antiterrorism training regimens will adapt best practices now in use by the Department of Homeland Security, and commanders will soon get better guidance to act on potential threats. Other likely changes, as based on the panel’s recommendations, would require enactment of new laws.
