Skelton Calls for Examination of Disconnect’ in Fort Hood Shooting
House Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) said on Sunday that his committee will study the disconnect between the actual performance of service members and what is included in performance evaluations when it analyzes the Defense Department’s official review of the Fort Hood, Texas, shooting.The panel has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday on the report, which concluded that the military should take greater steps to identify service members who could pose a threat to their colleagues. During an appearance on C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers,— Skelton said he plans to specifically look at whether this is something the military can self-correct or whether further legislation is needed.“So often, the reports do not accurately reflect a person’s competency or lack thereof. That, of course, is a very subjective thing,— Skelton said. “I think part of it is a natural tendency to not to want to say unpleasant things and move along. But in the end, there are cases where [performance] reports have accurately reflected less-than-minimum standards of performance.—Skelton also plans to further analyze whether intelligence reports suggesting alleged shooter Army Maj. Nidal Hasan posed a threat were ignored, he said.Wednesday’s hearing will feature testimony from former Army Secretary Togo West and former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vernon Clark, who authored the report.