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D.C. News & Views: Is the U.S. Senate Adding an Unnecessary Burden on the U.S. Army?

November 20, 2009

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held the first congressional hearing following the horrific attack at Fort Hood.  The hearing, entitled “Fort Hood: A Preliminary Assessment,” looked to address whether the attack could have been prevented with greater information sharing between government agencies.  But the coverage of the hearing, and the apparent objective by the committee's leadership, was to debate whether or not to invoke the label of "terrorism" in describing the Ft. Hood shooting.  No one asked the U.S. Army Chief of Staff if that discussion will help or hurt his forces.

Following testimony offered by five witnesses, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) asked the panelists whether or not they consider the shooting an act of terrorism. The Senator’s question stands in contrast to the measured tone set by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen who, at their joint press conference, held firm to the idea that officials and the public should wait for the facts to come in rather than engage in premature speculation.  The stated purpose of the hearing was to single out two critical questions: could the attack have been prevented? and Did federal agencies and employees involved miss signals or fail to connect the dots that ultimately enabled Maj. Nidal Hasan to commit this act? 

“If we find such errors or negligence, we will make recommendations to guarantee as best we can that they never occur again,” Sen. Lieberman stated.

During the hearing, the positive contributions from American Muslims throughout, and specifically in response to, the horrendous attack was highlighted by witness Juan Zarate, who thoughtfully quoted from a compelling piece written in response to the Fort Hood shootings by Salam Al-Marayati, an influential leader in the American Muslim community and MPAC’s own Executive Director. (Click here to watch the Senate hearing. Go to minute 77 to hear Zarate's remarks.)

It is extremely important for our policy makers to ensure that the investigation is complete and that a thorough analysis has been made before legislative action is taken. Our Army has been stretched thin for the past few years and requires the appropriate resources to address the various physical and psychological challenges that face the young men and women who are sent to engage in combat.

The political crossfire between the Republicans and the Obama Administration is now in a position to place an undue burden on the U.S. Army, which is trying to restore the morale of our troops after the traumatic events at Ft. Hood.