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Supervisor Expressed Doubts about Alleged Shooter; Burned Teen "Like a Superhero"; Iraqi School for Blind Receives Donated Equipment
Aired November 19, 2009 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: These -- got to tell you, these Georgia State students really, this was a -- this was a hot conversation. You can hear the rest of it tomorrow, same time, for my "Class in Session" series. It is noon eastern right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Let's push forward now with the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM with Kyra Phillips.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: You always get those students riled up, Tony.
We're pushing forward. Did the Fort Hood rampage really come out of nowhere? Most Americans think it could have been prevented. Now, Congress is asking questions.
And spring break in Havana? A ban on Cuban travel may be running out of steam, but don't book that bungalow just yet.
We begin this hour with backed-up flights all over the country, all because of computer glitches at the FAA. For about five hours, airlines couldn't even file their flight plans electronically. They all had to be typed in, one character at a time, and each one of these symbols represented lots of characters. The system is up and running again, but the damage is done. Controllers say that logjam will last through the day.
Two weeks after the bloodshed at Fort Hood, two investigations being launched in Washington. This hour, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is set to set a military-wide review of the tragedy blamed on an Army psychiatrist, a man known to be troubled and troublesome.
Just hours ago the Senate Homeland Security Panel opened a probe of its own and vowed to push forward, not merely look back.
Still, a key issue is motive. Did the alleged gunman, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, merely snap or was he waging jihad, or both?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN JENKINS, SENIOR ADVISER, RAND CORPORATION: At a glance, Major Hasan's rampage at Fort Hood looks a lot like what used to be called "going postal": a deepening sense of personal grievance, culminating in a homicidal rampage directed against co-workers, in this case, fellow soldiers.
For Hasan, "going jihad" reflects the channeling of obvious personality problems into a deadly fanaticism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Now, here's part of a memo written by the head of the psychiatric residency program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. In May, 2007, he said this about President [SIC] Nidal Hasan. Quote, "The faculty has serious concerns about Hasan's professionalism and work ethic. Clinically, he is competent to deliver safe patient care, but he demonstrates a pattern of poor judgment and a lack of professionalism," end quote.
The memo came to light on National Public Radio, whose -- correspondent, rather, spoke last night with our John Roberts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANIEL ZWERDLING, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO: Here's a guy who just, you know, keeps getting these bad evaluations. The supervisor said -- I showed this memo to several leading psychiatrists around the country today, and I said, "You know, put aside what we know about Hasan now. Put aside that he allegedly shot people at Fort Hood and all of that. Put aside what we know about his apparently extremist Islamic beliefs. Just tell me, if you got an application from a psychiatrist that had this evaluation in the credentials file, what would you do about it?"
And these psychiatrists said, "This guy would never even get in the door for an interview. We would never, ever, hire a psychiatrist this bad."
The gentleman who runs the Sheppard Pratt Psychiatric hospital near Baltimore, Maryland -- it's one of the premier psychiatric institutions in America -- said, "Even if we were desperate to fill a psychiatric position, we would never hire somebody with an evaluation like Nidal Hasan."
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And Daniel, here is the kicker in all this, in the memo, as well. After going through a litany of things that Hasan is doing wrong, talking about his lack of professionalism, poor judgment, the few patients that he's seeing, the fact that he's not responding to emergency calls and mistreated a homicidal patient, Major Scott Moran concludes, quote, "In spite of all this, I am not able to say he is not competent to graduate. Nor do I think a period of academic probation now at the end of his training will be beneficial. He would be able to contain his behavior enough to complete any period of probation successfully."
What does that say?
ZWERDLING: Very interesting. I spent a lot of time talking to psychiatrists at Walter Reed and other military institutions about this language, and they say what's happening here is that in the military there's a phrase -- I don't even know if it's in the dictionary -- but there's a phrase, is the officer non-remediable? In other words if you yell at the guy and say, "You better shape up or else," can he follow instructions and do a little better, or is he hopeless? And psychiatrists at Walter Reed and at the medical fellowship where he went, say that, if they breathed down his neck, if they gave him super-close supervision, if they really came down on him like a ton of bricks, he would get just enough better that they would have to say to their commanders, "Sir, he does seem capable of re-mediating."
ROBERTS: So -- so, here's the question that so many people might have right now, and I heard you talking about this last week on NPR, Daniel, with this record, with this evaluation, how did he end up at Fort Hood?
ZWERDLING: It turns out that some of his supervisors and associates sat around, actually, early this year, saying, "What can we do about Nidal Hasan?" I mean, one supervisor mused out loud to colleagues, "Do we think he's the kind of guy that could actually leak secrets to Islamic radicals?"
And another supervisor mused to some of his colleagues, "Do you think he could actually commit fratricide?" You know, that's killing fellow American soldiers.
But just -- so they got together, and they thought, "What can we do with him?" And the solution was -- this was the Army's solution -- let's send him to a mental center that has a pretty good mental health staff. Fort Hood actually has more mental health specialists than most Army bases.
And the thinking was, if he improves, then Hasan will be helpful, and if he doesn't improve, at least we have a bunch of therapists there who can monitor him and make sure he doesn't do too much damage.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Now, by a pretty large margin, most Americans think that the Fort Hood rampage could have been prevented. In a CNN/Opinion Research poll, 64 percent say the police, or the military, could have intervened. Thirty-one percent disagree.
Don't forget: we expect to see Defense Secretary Robert Gates and joint chiefs chairman, Mike Mullen, 1:30 p.m. Eastern, about 25 minutes from now. And you'll see it live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Michael Brewer, burned over two-thirds of his body, over 40 bucks, and within an inch of his life. He's out of ICU, and in a Miami burn center now. Doctors expect that he'll be in the hospital for months. Prosecutors plan to charge three of the five teens accused of torching him as adults.
We've been all over this story since it happened just a few weeks ago, and we hadn't heard from Brewer's family directly until now. His parents and grandmother talked to Shannon Hori of our affiliate, WFOR, and they've got a lot to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHANNON HORI, WFOR CORRESPONDENT: Does he know he's in a hospital? Does he know what happened to him?
VALERIE BREWER, MOTHER: Sometimes he does. Sometimes he just -- like I said, he's on a lot of medications, so he doesn't really.
MICHAEL BREWER, FATHER: The other day he wanted to talk to his Uncle Danny, and I let him, you know, put the phone up to his ears. He says, "Hey, Dan. I got burned. I'm in the hospital."
HORI (voice-over): Fifteen-year-old Michael Brewer hasn't been able to fully grasp what happened to him, but even with all of the drugs he's on for the pain, he has horrible flashbacks.
(on camera) What is he saying?
M. BREWER: He says, I need some water. I got to put these flames out.
HORI (voice-over): The five teens accused of dousing him with rubbing alcohol and then using a lighter to set him on fire, left him with second- and third-degree burns on 65 percent of his body.
V. BREWER: The first time I saw him, I really don't remember. Because I was in shock. I just remember fear for him.
HORI: Fear for their child who they say wasn't afraid of anything. His parents say he loved to swim, skateboard and play with his cousins, a typical teenage boy, one his father always wanted.
M. BREWER: When we first got together, I told her, I said, "Just give me a son so I can have my name go on. I'll tell you what, he can be male like me, but he can have your green eyes." And that's how he came out, with green eyes.
HORI: And his family says he has a big heart.
V. BREWER: He still comes and sits on my lap.
M. BREWER: He comes out in the morning when he wakes up, gives me a hug. He used to give me a hug when I dropped him off at school, but you know, then he got about 14, that stopped.
HORI: Being in a hospital is a familiar situation for the Brewer family. When Michael's father was 13 years old, a car hit him and put him in a coma for 12 days. He pulled through. His family calls him a miracle. They hope they're now witnessing another miracle with Michael.
REENIE BREWER, GRANDMOTHER: He's shown us that his strength and his stamina is like a superhero. I told them I'm having a cape made for him.
HORI: They believe his recovery is going so well because they stay positive.
V. BREWER: I don't ever cry in the room with Michael. Because he senses it. He can sense what mood you're in. HORI: And because of all of the prayers reaching them from the community and around the world.
V. BREWER: I want to thank everybody, everybody, for everything that they've done for my son and for our family. It's just -- it's renewed my faith in humanity. After this horrific thing, it -- it has really empowered us and helped us to concentrate on Michael.
HORI: During our time together, I gave Valerie and Mike things viewers had sent to us to give to Michael and his family, including a binder filled with cards made by students and a blanket.
V. BREWER: Things like this, this comes from the heart.
HORI: Many of the thousands of cards they've received have come from children, one that really stuck with Valerie came with a stuffed toy.
V. BREWER: And the letter, the little boy was 2 years old, and the mom wrote that he kissed him six times before he put him in the box. And I just cried. I just -- a 2-year-old.
I hope that Michael's story can make a positive change.
HORI: They hope what happened in Deerfield Beach that day never happens again, that disagreements between kids won't be settled with violence, and that adults will take a more active role to stop fights from escalating.
M. BREWER: Say, "Hey, that's enough" if they see something happening. Say, "Hey," actually step in. Not worry about it, these are children.
V. BREWER: The best thing they can do is to look in their own backyard and make sure that everybody understands that it's not OK to hurt anyone else.
HORI: And Michael was hurt over something so senseless. Police say he owed a boy 40 bucks for a video game. When he didn't pay, another boy tried to steal Michael's father's bike. Michael told police. Now Michael's entire life will never be the same.
R. BREWER: The scars that are going to be left physically will be tough to look at, I'm sure. But the scars that are being left internally are going to be much worse. And they will take a lifetime of reassurance and love from everyone that's in his life.
V. BREWER: I know I couldn't do what he's doing. If this had happened to me, I probably wouldn't be here. He's -- he's incredibly strong, and he's my hero, he really is. I tell him every day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Wow. That was Shannon Hori of WFOR, sitting down with the Brewer family. We sure hope to have more of that interview for you tomorrow. And next hour, a closer look at a Chicago mystery. The apparent suicide of the school's chief. Some people have serious doubts that Michael Scott died at his own hands.
To all you stranded travelers out there, and to all you people at home waiting for those travelers, don't worry. We're going to tell you what you need to know and get you where you're going.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Seven score and six years ago Abraham Lincoln gave one of the greatest speeches in American history. Now, for those of who don't count in scores, the Gettysburg Address was delivered on November 19, 1863.
Here's a blurry pic from the battlefield. Still some controversy whether this is really Abe Lincoln. But the speech is just ten sentences long, clocking in at two minutes. But for a man of few words, Lincoln managed to sum up the principles of human equality, so we're tipping our top hats to Honest Abe today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Frayed nerves, missed appointments for air travel this morning. A computer glitch caused widespread cancellations and delays across the country. Chad Myers not only our meteorologist, but also our flight tracker.
What's the latest today?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And I will be busy all the way through Thanksgiving and obviously through Christmas, as well. We will try to give you the very latest on traffic, whether it's air traffic, bus traffic or car traffic.
I have a couple of Web sites for you here. One that you're really going to love today. Airports are getting better, because all the planes that want to be in the air, are in the air. Philadelphia still behind, LaGuardia, Newark, still a little bit behind.
Let me show you what I'm talking about. There are 6,000 planes in the sky right now. It didn't look like this at 7 a.m. in the morning when the air traffic control couldn't get planes in the sky for most of the eastern half of the U.S. And even the ones that were going to the western part of the country.
Now I want to take you to the Web site. The Web site that, when I told everybody here at CNN that I was going to show it, they said, "No, you can't show this Web site! We use this every day." SeatGuru.com. And why is it important? Because let's say you are on a Delta flight -- I think what did I pick? Like, a 737, if you pick on SeatGuru.com, you say Delta, you see your plane, you can click on that seat right there, and they will tell you "A," "B," "C," "D," "E," "F," "do not recline," so -- because there's an exit row behind you.
If you click on that one, it says that's an expanded seat. You click on, say, 22-F. This is one I can't give my kid. Seat 22-F is missing a window. If you like having a view, choose another seat, because when I get to that plane and there's not a view for my son to look outside, is there heck to pay.
PHILLIPS: Hey, you forgot Santa's traffic. You threw in all the other traffic until the end of the year.
MYERS: Every day this week I'm going to give you a new Web site that might make your travel easier.
PHILLIPS: OK. Thanks, Chad.
MYERS: Sure.
PHILLIPS: Stepping out into outer space, two Space Shuttle Atlantis astronauts outside the International Space Station right now, live pictures of the first of three space walks. They're actually hooking up a spare antenna and cables right now and tackling some other chores, too. Atlantis brought a load of spare parts to keep that station afloat.
Brand new Braillers and a printer transforming an Iraqi classroom for Baghdad's blind students. New donations mean a brand new vision.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Top stories now.
Could the shooting rampage at Fort Hood have been prevented? That's the No. 1 question for the Senate Homeland Security Committee as it holds hearings on the attacks two weeks ago. The panel chaired by Senator Joe Lieberman, well, he wonders whether the rampage was the result of intelligence failures.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai's second term is under way. His inauguration just hours ago in Kabul. The Afghan leader vows to tackle corruption and drug trafficking. Both of those are big U.S. concerns.
In suburban Chicago, Burr Oaks Cemetery is open again. You'll recall it was shut down after four former workers were accused of digging up hundreds of graves and reselling burial plots. All the suspects have pleaded not guilty.
Well, some of my most memorable assignments for CNN have been covering the Iraq war. There were so many stories to tell, so many strong Iraqis to tell you about, and so many brave children.
One experience that I've never forgotten was my visit to Baghdad's School for the Blind in 2008 and meeting one of its star students, 11-year-old Muktada. I will never forget what happened when I asked him for a five-second mike check.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUKTADA, IRAQI STUDENT: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, 11, 12...
PHILLIPS: Exactly.
MUKTADA: ... 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26...
(END VIDEO CLIP))
PHILLIPS: Well, as you can see, these kids are definitely full of life and extremely bright. But they just didn't have enough teaching tools.
When I reached out to the Perkins School for the Blind, made famous for educating Helen Keller, they didn't even hesitate to donate high-tech equipment to teach these kids.
Well, now even more good news. Perkins has made its second donation, and our Mohammed Jamjoom was there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kids in school rarely smile this much or sing this loudly. But at Baghdad's Al-Noor School for the Blind, there was reason to celebrate. Much-needed Braille learning materials from the U.S. have finally arrived.
This is the second batch of supplies donated from the Perkins School for the Blind since CNN's Kyra Phillips first visited last year. Getting the aid from the U.S. to Baghdad isn't easy, so Perkins partnered with International Relief and Development for the special delivery.
ERNEST LEONARDO, INTERNATIONAL RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT: You see service, or in this case equipment, delivered to children, who are looking to understand how the world is, and they're thirsty for knowledge. And they're sitting at these tables, looking at this equipment and wondering, "What comes next? How do we see the world?" That's fascinating for us. It's -- it's a good project.
JAMJOOM: Al-Noor is the only institute of its kind in Baghdad, serving 71 students.
(on camera) Everybody here's very excited, but they're most excited by the delivery of the school's first Braille printer. And this Braille printer will allow them to do in minutes what once took days.
(voice-over) Students here are still using the Braillers they received last year. But the latest shipment definitely contributed to the festive atmosphere, even in the classrooms.
For 11-year-old Safa, the chance at a better education means the chance at a better future.
SAFA, AL-NOOR STUDENT (through translator): I went to become a teacher so I can help my people and my country. I want to teach the students that come after me, to teach them the way I was taught.
JAMJOOM: The hope is that this desperately-needed program will continue.
LEONARDO: There are other kinds of contributions that are coming in Iraq. We'll talk about that later. But this -- this is one that really gets to your -- to your heart. You can see the smiles on the kids. Nothing better than that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Mohammed Jamjoom joins us now live from Baghdad.
So, I'm curious: did you -- were you ever able to track down Muktada?
JAMJOOM: Well, Kyra, you know, we were looking forward to meeting Muktada. He made such an impression on you and in the piece that you did last year. Unfortunately, we went there that day. He wasn't able to make it. But we heard from the principal of the school that he's doing very well. He graduated with very high marks, and he still stays in touch. Not only that, but he actually goes back to the school occasionally and says hi to his old -- old teachers and old classmates -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: OK. Well, that's good to hear. I always want to keep an eye on him. He was great.
But on -- on another note, I think it's really frustrating when you see how kids with disabilities are treated there in that country. I mean, we all know there's -- there's so much to deal with right now in that war zone. But these kids have every opportunity to have a great future. They just need the support.
Is that frustrating for the teachers and the administrators there, you know, who can't get the government to support them? I mean, they really rely on the Americans.
JAMJOOM: Absolutely, Kyra. You know, when we went there, we were so struck by the festive atmosphere. As you pointed out, you just usually don't see that in schools or classrooms.
But really, when we dug a little bit deeper and we spoke with some of the students and some of the teachers and the principal, you know, they said that it was great; it was wonderful. They were so thankful that they were getting this equipment.
But, you know, it was bittersweet for them, too, because they don't think they should only have to be getting this equipment from the U.S., from the Perkins School, as much as they're thankful for that. They also would hope that, you know, the Iraqi government would support them more than they have.
And, you know, here that's especially sensitive, because in cultures like this, you see that the children with disabilities and people with disabilities, that they're sort of marginalized. They feel stigmatized by society. They're not accepted as much as they are in other places of the world. And because this continues, because they're only seeing that they're getting this equipment from the West, they feel that they're still marginalized and still stigmatized. And they want to really get past that and feel that their government is fully supporting them -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, we'll keep supporting them. I'm glad they touched you like they touched me, Mohammed. Thank you so much.
Well, the Pentagon's response to Fort Hood, in a word sweeping. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen. Moments from now you're going to see them live right here from the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, we're live at the Pentagon where Defense Secretary Robert Gates is about to announce a militarywide review of lessons learned, signals crossed and opportunities lost in the Fort Hood rampage two weeks ago today. We will take it live as soon as he steps up to the mike.
Earlier today, the Senate Homeland Security Committee opened a probe of its own but vowed to look forward, not back. We're going to bring you the live press conference as soon as it happens.
Hamid Karzai, perhaps under more pressure right now than any other world leader, sworn in for a second term as Afghan president today. Karzai's inaugural speech was packed with promises and apologies. He promised to tackle the political corruption swirling around him, calling it a very dangerous enemy. But he apologized for not following through on previous promises. What he said next, sums it all up. Quote, "It's not easy to govern this state."
The big reason for that? Karzai's state has been in a state of war for eight years now, a war that's still escalating and tactics that are still drawing fire, especially the use of unmanned drones to do the dirty work. Here's our Barbara Starr.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pakistan, August 2009, an unmanned aircraft takes off from a secret base inside Pakistan. The Central Intelligence Agency has a tip where the Taliban leader Baitullah Massoud is hiding. The CIA drone flies in and piloted by personnel miles away in front of a computer screen. Its missiles fire. Massoud is killed.
It is called Push Button War. Targeted killing by remotely- controlled planes. The growing reliance by the Obama administration on these drones to kill inside Pakistan a U.S. ally is increasingly controversial. Philip Alston, the United Nations special investigation, questions whether this is legal warfare or targeted assassination.
PHILIP ALSTON, U.N. SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR: Under what program, under what authorization, under what set of laws is the CIA actually operating? This is the CIA. This is not the Department of Defense. Normally wars are fought by a Defense Department, not by an intelligence agency.
STARR: In 1976...
(INTERRUPTED VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Get you straight now to Sec Def Robert Gates next to the joint chiefs -- the joint chiefs, Mike Mullen, talking about Fort Hood.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY OF THE UNITED STATES: That inquiry and any related military justice proceeding must by law be carried to completion without outside interference and must be conducted in a fair and impartial manner.
Furthermore, during this time, senior DOD leaders, both civilian and military, must be careful to avoid statements or actions that could be perceived as attempts to influence that process. I urge other senior leaders to be mindful of this and urge those with firsthand knowledge of the facts to refrain from comment unless expressly authorized.
The shootings at Fort Hood raise a number of troubling questions that demand complete but prompt answers.
As you know, the president ordered a government-wide review to look at all intelligence related to this matter, how such intelligence was handled, shared and acted on within and between individual departments and agencies. An initial response on that review is due back November 30th.
Today, I am announcing that the Department of Defense will conduct a separate review to ensure the safety and health of DOD employees and their families.
We do not enter this process with any preconceived notions. However, it is prudent to determine immediately whether there are internal weaknesses or procedural shortcomings in the department that could make us vulnerable in the future.
To this end, I've ordered a 45-day review with three areas of emphasis.
First, to find possible gaps or deficiencies in Defense Department programs, processes and procedures for identifying service members who could potentially pose credible threats to others.
Second, to assess, among other issues, personnel reliability programs, medical screening programs, service member release and discharge policies and procedures, pre- and post-deployment health assessment programs, periodic counseling sessions, and procedures on the reporting and handling of adverse service member information. And third, and finally, to examine the sufficiency of both the department's domestic physical security programs at Department of Defense facilities and its emergency response capabilities for mass casualty events at our facilities.
Former Army Secretary Togo West and former chief of naval operations Admiral Vern Clark have agreed to head this 45-day review, and I thank them for their public service and their contribution in what will be an intense effort.
Both are intimately Familiar with the department and devoted to the safety of Defense Department employees and their families, and I know that they will conduct a serious, thorough and honest assessment.
As part of this review, each service will appoint a senior official to work with Secretary West and Admiral Clark on service- specific issues.
In light of the Fort Hood incident and unique challenges, the Army will conduct a more in-depth, detailed assessment whether Army programs, policies and procedures reasonably could have prevented the shooting. Those findings will be submitted as part of the Army's contribution to the departmental review.
This initial review is by no means the end of the process. Rather, it is just the beginning. Its results will inform and largely shape a department-wide follow-on examination of any systemic institutional shortcomings, an examination I expect to be completed within four to six months.
This more in-depth review will entail each service selecting an investigative panel. These panels will in turn report their findings to a DOD-level panel which will assess the findings and identify needed changes in policy and procedure, as well as areas where additional resources are required.
Among other issues, this review will cover topics such as service member support programs, care for victims and families of mass casualty events, how we assess and sustain the performance of healthcare providers, and overall stress on the troops and their families.
In all of these, I promise the Department of Defense's full and open disclosure.
There is nothing any of us can say to ease the pain for the wounded, the families of the fallen and the members of the Fort Hood community touched by this incident, pain I saw vividly and firsthand yesterday in Mountain City, Tennessee. All that is left for us to do is everything in our power to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
Any comment?
All right.
QUESTION: Secretary, do you believe that there were management failures at the Army, from what you know now?
What should happen as a result, if you do believe that?
And does the fact that you're launching a department-wide review indicate a lack of faith in the Army to investigate itself?
GATES: Well, first of all, the latter's not at all the case. I think -- I think the Army has every capability to investigate itself.
But all of the services potentially have some of the same problems that the Army's trying to deal with, and that's why -- and, for example, let's just say the security of our facilities. That's not limited just to the Army.
So I have -- I have every confidence in the Army's ability to do this. But I think it's important that we look at it from a departmental-wide perspective.
I have -- I have not seen -- I mean, the whole purpose of what I've just laid out is to answer the first question that you've asked: to determine whether, in fact, there were lapses or problems.
GATES: But, more importantly -- and it's really focused more on where we are today and looking ahead -- what can we do to prevent something like this from happening again?
You want to add?
MULLEN: No, sir.
QUESTION: One of your three items you said you want to look into was whether you could identify service members -- the department could identify service members (inaudible).
What are service members supposed to do when they suspect someone-- are -- is this a call for the Army to rat each other out or to report to superiors, because that seemed what has happened with Major Hasan with the report to -- by his superiors at Walter Reed? What --what's supposed to happen next?
GATES: Well, as -- as you've indicated, I mean, that's one of the three areas that I've -- that I'm asking this panel to look into-- Admiral Clark and Secretary West -- is what are those procedures and do they need improvement.
QUESTION: Oh, there is one detail of the investigation that since it's already on the record, I'll ask you about.
Yesterday, Attorney General Holder said he was disturbed by information that Hasan had e-mail communications with Anwar al-Awlaki. And I wonder if you are also disturbed by that.
GATES: I'm going to wait -- before I draw it's -- yes, it's disturbing. But before I draw any conclusions about it, I want to find out all the facts. QUESTION: Sir, what is your advice to, say, an Army family right now going in and out of Fort Hood or another base that is now perhaps looking at their neighbors with suspicion? What are you telling them? What should they be watching?
GATES: Well, I think that -- you know, I remember being on the outside of the government after 9/11 and the cautions that President Bush and others in the government exercised against identifying certain categories of people as -- as potentially suspicious.
And -- and the thrust of their remarks was that in a nation as diverse as the United States the last thing we need to do is start pointing fingers at each other, particularly when there's no basis in fact for it.
So until all the evidence is in, I think that the comments about how we treat each other still ought to apply. And I know this is an issue that's of concern to the services.
MULLEN: I would add to that that it doesn't take this kind of direction to have leaders recognize the challenges that are associated with this. Every base, every unit literally -- leaders have, I think, immediately grabbed this to look within, to, kind of, see where they are, and to look at what -- whether there's potential or not, and to reassure members and families that -- that not only do we take it extremely seriously, we are looking at it, and to really come together in what is -- you know, what was certainly a tragic, tragic incident and a reminder of the times in which we live, and that leaders are, in fact, taking action, literally before this guidance to ensure that it doesn't happen again.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) message to the Muslim community in uniform, because they are very -- they're caught by this incident?
MULLEN: My message to all those in uniform, including Muslims in uniform, is how much we appreciate their service, the difference that they make; that the -- I have for my entire career -- the diversity of our force is one of its greatest strengths. And that not unlike what the secretary said, that no one should draw any rapid conclusions. And we need to ensure that we treat everybody fairly -- I mean, before this incident and after this incident, everybody fairly.
And there are procedures that exist in all the services to - to look our people and our programs and evaluate ourselves routinely. And I am sure that leaders are doing that.
QUESTION: Will this review look specifically at the mental health ranks within the Army where, you know, the allegation has been made that a shortage of mental health professionals may have let unqualified people continue on, rather than being drummed out? How specific to the case before us will this be versus a general look at personnel policy?
GATES: Well, I think they're going to, as I've indicated here, they are going to look at -- at how we deal with stress of our healthcare providers. GATES: And -- and I would say that it shouldn't be limited only to mental health care providers.
You know, you -- you talk to the -- you go to the hospitals and-- and you talk to the nurses and the doctors and those who care for these grievously wounded young men and women, and -- I mean, their level of commitment -- and I can't imagine the burden on them of doing that all day, every day.
And so, I think one of the things, for their own benefit, if nothing else, is -- is for us to take a look at how are we helping them deal with stress, given the circumstances that they face.
MULLEN: Could I just add to that that clearly there has - there is a shortfall, and it's -- across the department, it's about 20percent or so. It's a little more significant in the Army in terms of the -- the statistics. And -- and that is, you know, representative of the shortfall that we actually have in the country.
We've recruited significant numbers in the last several years. We've increased the mental health providers for both members and families in the last several years, but we certainly haven't closed that gap.
GATES: And it gets harder as you get to more rural areas in terms of finding an adequate number of mental health care providers.
One of the things that we're looking at, for example, is - is whether the -- the military medical education system can expand beyond-- how much it could expand beyond doctors and -- and try and provide opportunities for the training of psychologists and counselors and soon to -- and we would pay for that in exchange for a level -- a period of commitment to serve and then go into the communities.
Because one of the things that -- as the chairman has just implied, one of the things we're discovering as we go around trying to hire people all over the country is that there -- there really is a national shortage of these folks.
QUESTION: Based on the facts that you have now about Hasan and what happened that day, is it fair to characterize the shooting as a terrorist attack?
GATES: I'm just not going to go there.
I'll -- as I said in the very first paragraph I am -- I am, first of all, as -- as the senior person in the departmental chain of command, I am the least able to render opinions on these kinds of issues. I'm going to wait until the facts are in and we'll -- and we'll let the military justice system take care of it.
QUESTION: If it's possible to draw a conclusion to that end as aresult of the criminal investigation...
GATES: I have no idea. QUESTION: One of the threats that's obviously being looked at is this issue of whether the intercepted e-mails should have been shared with the Pentagon earlier.
Given your background in the intelligence world, how much of a concern is it, do you think? Is that relationship -- as far as intelligence-sharing between civilian intelligence agencies and the Pentagon, is that what it should be?
GATES: Well, without reference to this case, I will tell you that the sharing of information between the intelligence community and the Department of Defense -- and I would say law enforcement -- is sofar superior to what it was when I left government in 1993, it's -- it's -- it's dramatically different and dramatically better.
And -- and -- and so, you know, one of the things everybody's looking at -- and after all, the purpose of the president's requirement in terms of looking at who had what intelligence, when, and shared it with whom, is to answer your question. And we won't know the answer to that until it's over.
QUESTION: Short of someone in the military making a direct, specific, public threat, when you're in the military, what is allowed and not allowed for someone who might be described as becoming self- radicalized?
What are they allowed to do in terms of making Internet or e-mail contacts with people known to the U.S. government to be of a radical bent, to belong to certain groups which are not in line with U.S. government policy?
What is allowed here?
MULLEN: I think -- I mean, we all have private lives, and basically in any command you typically are not overly involved unless-- in private -- in the private lives of people that serve in the command unless circumstances surface that there are some difficulties and challenges.
And leaders, mid-level NCOs in particular, are intimately -- oftentimes intimately involved with challenges that young -- or that actually any people would have across a wide spectrum of areas. And the expectation that leaders engage so is very much there.
MULLEN: So, as leaders become aware of something like this overtime, you know, my -- or something else, my expectation is that that gets surfaced in the chain of command.
And commanders, whether they're squad leaders right up through battalion commanders or -- or ship-commanding officers, are -- they routinely deal with -- with these kinds of things when they are --when they are made known.
It's -- the question is, how are they made known? And that varies depending on the kind of situation you're talking about. QUESTION: So, Admiral, if you had a young sailor in your command making statements of a radical nature, what -- what would be the appropriate course of action?
MULLEN: My -- without trying to map it to the -- to the current incident, you know, my expectation is for -- you know, for any commander to certainly to be aware of those kinds of things and then to take appropriate action; to -- to certainly not sit idly by but to address it.
And there are a lot of different ways to address it. And, you know, a single -- a single proclamation, if you will, doesn't, in and of itself, necessarily mean anything. You've got to put it into the circumstances.
QUESTION: Let me ask you, what's your expectation of any sharing of information between the criminal investigation and this broad review you've laid out, in terms of any patterns or any shortfalls they saw in the Hasan case that might not bear on the criminality aspect but might show a systemic problem that your larger review should take a look at?
GATES: Well, clearly, we are going to have to be careful as we put together the terms of reference and as we go forward to ensure that we don't do anything to complicate or jeopardize the criminal prosecution.
And -- and so we will have some very clear guidelines in terms of the information that we're seeking.
GATES: But the information that we're seeking in this shorter review really is -- really can, I think, be almost entirely isolated from the criminal investigation, because we're really looking at the whole rest of the country in terms of what are our security capabilities, what are our capabilities for responding to a mass casualty event. And that might not be -- that might not be an act of murder. It might be a natural disaster of some kind.
How -- what are our policies and procedures -- going back to the first question -- what are our policies and procedures in certain of these areas on how we deal with these certain kind of problems?
So I think -- I think we can -- can deal effectively with the questions that are being posed without creating difficulties for the criminal prosecution. But at the same time, there'll be some very clear guidelines.
QUESTION: (inaudible) we haven't talked to you since the - this horrendous event, but what was your initial reaction when you heard this -- heard of the shooting? What are one or two of the unresolved questions in your mind as a citizen that you'd like answers to?
GATES: Well, I mean, my reaction was I'm sure the same as almost everybody in the country. It was one of horror.
And -- and I would just answer the second part by saying the most important thing for us now is to find out what actually happened, put all the facts together, and figure out a way where we can do everything possible so that nothing like this ever happens again.
QUESTION: Sir, I will first ask you about your meeting on Tuesday with Saudi Prince Bin Sultan. Could you give us an update about that meeting? Did the prince deliver any request, any message? And what are your views about the conflict -- the current conflict in Yemen?
GATES: Well, we have a -- we obviously have a very close -- excuse me -- military-to-military relationship with the Saudis, and an ongoing arms sales program with them. And I would just leave it at the fact that we reviewed the programs that are -- for which there are outstanding requests and those that -- that the Saudis may be thinking about.
We did discuss the situation in Yemen, and he, the assistant secretary, basically outlined for me the Saudi view of the situation there. I'll just leave it at that.
QUESTION: I was going to ask you about Iraq -- excuse me --about Iraq and the veto of the election law there in January. How did that impact the drawdown? And are you concerned by that -- that the pace of the draw down might be impacted? And is the U.S. military basically in limbo waiting for Iraqi politicians to (inaudible)?
GATES: No, I would say -- I would say that we have -- we are continuing to proceed on the assumption that the draw down will take place as General Odierno has described it.
Frankly, we were very heartened when the election law was passed, and we hope that the concerns that have been expressed can be resolved quickly, and a -- and new legislation passed so that the election cantake place within the constitutional framework, meaning before the end of January.
QUESTION: But does it push (INAUDIBLE) slide things to the right?
GATES: I would say we've seen nothing at this point that would make that necessary.
QUESTION: Sir, on Afghanistan, are you in favor of setting a precise timeline for the transfer of security responsibility to the Afghan forces starting next year, as Gordon Brown and the NATO secretary general suggested?
GATES: Clearly, a very important part of the strategy in Afghanistan has to be the increase in the size of the Afghan national security forces and their training...
PHILLIPS: Defense Secretary Robert Gates, alongside there with joint chiefs chairman Mike Mullen, announcing a militarywide review of lessons learned, signals crossed -- opportunities lost in that Fort Hood rampage that happened two weeks ago. A new way of identifying internal threats, as you heard Robert Gates say there. Threats like Army psychiatrist Major Nadal Hasan.
We want to now salute some of the fallen heroes from Fort Hood who are being buried this week. Family members and friends and Defense Secretary Robert Gates gathered yesterday to lay to rest Army Specialist Fred Green. The 29-year-old had a wife and two young daughters, and he was among the first murdered in the Fort Hood rampage. Green was known as a quiet professional at the base, and his captain hailed him as a true hero.
And yesterday, the family of Army Specialist Francheska Velez also said their final goodbyes. The 21-year-old girl was pregnant when she was gunned down. Her cousin says Velez joined the Army to carry on her father's dream. He'd wanted to join but wasn't able to.
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