Ft. Hood Struggles With Suicides

Four apparent suicides among military personnel took place over the weekend at Fort Hood, a Texas-based army installation that has already experienced 14 confirmed suicides this year.

In one instance, a Sergeant, Michael Timothy Franklin, was found dead along with his wife.

In response to the weekend’s deaths, Ft. Hood’s Senior Commander Major General William Grimsley issued a statement earlier this week announcing efforts to direct at-risk personnel to prevention programs.

“Fort Hood takes suicide prevention seriously,” Grimsley said. “We have adopted an holistic approach to raise awareness of programs available to Soldiers and their family members to obtain the help they need.”

The installation also announced that Army Chaplains will be available 24/7 and have advised those on base to notify the chain of command if they suspect an individual is suicidal.

Suicide among service-members has become a growing crisis for the military. A recent study from the Army indicates that there were 1,713 suicide attempts and 239 confirmed suicides within the entire branch last year.

A report on the crisis released this summer places partial blame on commanders for ignoring warning signs among soldiers, such as drug abuse and crime, in order to meet personnel demands strained by the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

According to Army Vice Chief of Staff, 60 percent of confirmed suicides are among service-members who had served only one deployment. However, three of the deaths that took place at Ft. Hood this weekend were among soldiers who had served multiple deployments. All had served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and two had deployments in Afghanistan.

The Defense Department issued a review of Ft. Hood’s protection procedures after a gunman killed 13 on the base last November. Recommendations approved by Secretary Robert Gates last month widens commanders’ abilities to access medical and psychiatric records. The installation has also adopted a stricter registration policy for personal weapons.

Pentagon Moving Forward With Fort Hood Recommendations

The Department of Defense announced Thursday that they will be implementing 26 of the 79 recommendations that followed a review of November’s shooting at the Fort Hood military installation in Texas.

These recommendations include the expansion of eGuardian, an FBI run threat detection and tracking system, increased information sharing between law enforcement agencies within the military and new policies for weapons privately owned by those who live on-base.

The independent review, which was spearheaded by former Secretary of the Army Togo West and retired Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Vernon Clark, issued the 79 recommendations in a report this January. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, has taken issue with the report for not specifically addressing Islamist extremism.

The November 5th shooting was carried out by Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army Major and psychologist reported to have ties with a controversial former Imam in Yemen. Hasan killed 13 and wounded 30 others.

Actions on the remaining recommendations will be announced by June.

Today At TRNS

UN Correspondent Tala Dowlatshahi will be covering the launch of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) World Population Report 2009.

The Washington Bureau will be covering the following:

-The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee holds a hearing on "The Fort Hood Attack: A Preliminary Assessment."

-Senators Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) hold a news conference about the HSGAC hearing regarding the Ft. Hood attacks.

-Attorney General Eric Holder testifies before the Senate Judiciary.

-Senators Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Kit Bond (R-Mo.), Roberts (R-Kan.), and House members hold a news conference about a recent WTO ruling regarding aircraft subsidies.

-Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), Scott Garrett (R-N.J.) host a members' briefing on Cuba.

-The House Energy and Commerce Committee Health Subcommittee holds a hearing on H1N1 Preparedness.

-GOP House members hold a news conference about Gitmo.

-Reps. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), Michaud (D-Maine) hold a news conference about WTO and trade.

-GOP women hold a news conference about mammograms and health care.

-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Dr. Jill Biden, et al. hold a news conference about the USO Care Package event for women soldiers.

-The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee holds a full committee markup of the "Domestic Partner Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009."

Today At TRNS

The Washington bureau will be covering:

- A joint discussion with the UN Correspondents Association and the American Moroccan Institute on "Women Leaders in the Arab World."

- A pen and pad briefing with Senators Lamar Alexander and Jim Webb on bipartisanship in furthering national clean energy technology.

- A stakeout following Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. George Casey Jr. and Secretary of the Army John McHugh's testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on circumstances surrounding the Ft. Hood shootings.

- The Coalition for Religious Freedom's news conference held to "condemn [the] Stupak-Pitts Amendment"

- A Natural Resources Defense Council discussion on "President Obama's Trip to China and Climate Issues."

- The American Enterprise Institute and National Chamber Foundation discussion on "Challenges to Creating 20 Million New Jobs."

- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace discussion on "Restoring the Non-Proliferation Treaty."

- A discussion hosted by the Center for American Progress on unifying diplomatic, development and military strategy under the Obama administration.

- and the AAAS and University Corporation for Atmospheric Research hosts a discussion on "Climate Change: Health and Policy Implications."

Pentagon Update On Fort Hood Shootings

At 1934 Zulu, there will be a moment of silence to reflect the carnage of the shootings at Ft. Hood. All military personnel will comply even those overseas.

The Army is sending support personnel to Ft. Hood. This includes 13 Ministry Teams, 35 Life Consultants, 13 Behavioral Therapists, 17 Critical Health Specialists and 5 Combat Control Teams. A muslim cleric is part of the Ministry Team.

A general biography on the shooter will be released later today.

The Army CID is currently heading the investigation but the FBI may take over the investigation.

Commanders of all military installations are looking at there Force Protection Procedures.

The shooter was not confirmed dead or alive for 4 hours yesterday. This was due to the fog and friction of the situation.

The Army will be releasing details of the investigation as they see fit to do so.The Army, Pentagon and other investigative bodies will not be releasing any information until they feel ready. Day to day details of the official investigation will not be given.

The shooter had never been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. He was in a deployment window.

An Army ballistics team is currently at Ft. Hood putting together a timeline of the type of weapons used as well as when and where.