Army Announces 14 Firings, Suspensions After Investigation of Violence at Fort Hood

On Tuesday, a report was released from the independent investigation into the tragedies that have occurred at Fort Hood, including the murder of Spc. Vanessa Guillen, per USA Today. Their investigation found that leadership at the United States Army’s largest base created a “permissive environment” that led to sexual harassment, assault, and other crimes to occur with little consequence. As a result, 14 leaders have either been fired or suspended following the investigation.

In the report, they criticized the dysfunctional Army culture and called on the organization to implement changes in staffing and programs to protect soldiers from assaults. Their investigation found that there were systemic failures from leadership who failed to address problems concerning sexual assault and other crimes. Fourteen leaders at Fort Hood have since been fired or suspended, as Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said. Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt, the deputy commanding general for III Corps, was amongst those who were fired. McCarthy suspended Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Broadwater pending the outcome of a further investigation. McCarthy said, “This report, without a doubt, will cause the Army to change our culture.”

The investigation into the culture at Fort Hood was prompted following the murder of Guillen in April and the failure to find her remains for three months after that period. On Tuesday, the Army announced that they would be changing their procedures to search for soldiers shortly after they were reported missing instead of assuming that they’ve either deserted their posts or went absent without leave. According to USA Today, Congress has also launched an inquiry into the problems at Fort Hood. In addition to Guillen’s murder, Pvt. Mejhor Morta and Sgt. Elder Fernandes also went missing from the base and were later found dead. Morta reportedly drowned while Fernandes allegedly died by suicide.

“A military installation is essentially a large, gated community,” the report, which was produced by an independent panel of five civilian experts, said. “The Commander of a military installation possesses a wide variety of options to proactively address and mitigate the spectrum of crime incidents. Despite having the capability, very few tools were employed at Fort Hood to do so.” The panel found that the Army’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program was ineffective at Fort Hood. The report stated, “During the review period, no Commanding General or subordinate echelon commander chose to intervene proactively and mitigate known risks of high crime, sexual assault and sexual harassment.” The panel and their staff reportedly interviewed more than 2,500 soldiers and Army civilians as a part of their three-month investigation into the issues at Fort Hood.