Reed and Inhofe Statement on Fort Hood Briefing

Today, after the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) held a closed door briefing on the Army’s response to the findings and recommendations of the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee’s comprehensive assessment of the Fort Hood command climate and culture, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Chairman and Ranking Member of SASC, issued the following joint statement:

“When we visited Fort Hood last September, we met with commanders and talked to soldiers — and what we heard was very troubling. The Fort Hood Independent Review Commission’s report underscored what we learned. The Fort Hood leadership was disengaged — from the very top down to squad level — and that resulted in the ineffective implementation of programs designed to respond to sexual harassment and assault. We fully support the Secretary of the Army’s decision to hold 14 Fort Hood leaders accountable for these failures. 

“Today, the committee heard from two of the three co-chairs of the Army’s People First Task Force, which was created in response to the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee report.  We are confident that the task force will take the findings and recommendations from Fort Hood and develop solutions that can work Army-wide. This won’t be easy, but it is critical that the Army get it right.  We’re grateful to General Brito and Ms. Randon, as well as Command Sergeant Major Guerra and the whole task force for taking on this important responsibility.

“It’s going to take real leadership to fix the problems at Fort Hood and throughout the Army. What we heard today gives us hope, but hope alone isn’t enough. We look forward to working with the task force and leadership at DOD to solve these troubling issues once and for all.

“The committee will continue to focus on this issue, press for reforms and consider the full range of options to ensure real, lasting, positive changes are made.”