Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy on Thursday released the names of five civilian experts who will lead an independent review of Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas.

Panel members will lead a review to "determine whether the command climate and culture at Fort Hood, and the surrounding military community, reflects the Army's values, including safety, respect, inclusiveness, and a commitment to diversity, and workplaces and communities free from sexual harassment," the Army said.

On July 10, the Army announced it would conduct an independent review of the command climate and culture at Fort Hood, which came under scrutiny after the death of Spc. Vanessa Guillen.

Guillen went missing in April and her remains were found earlier this month.

When the Army announced the review it acknowledged Guillen may have been sexually harassed. She had not filed a formal complaint but had told family and friends about the harassment.

The man suspected of killing her, Spc. Aaron David Robinson, died by suicide at Fort Hood in early July after being confronted by police.

Last week Pvt. Mejhor Morta, 26, was found unresponsive on Friday near Stillhouse Lake, about 15 miles southeast of Fort Hood, and in mid-June the remains of Pvt. Gregory Wedel-Morales, who went missing in August 2019, were found on the base.

The panelists announced Thursday are Chris Swecker, Jonathan Harmon, Carrie Ricci, Queta Rodriguez and Jack White.

Except for Rodriguez, who runs FourBlock, a national nonprofit that helps veterans transition into civilian careers and is a director of veterans services for Bexar County, all the panelists are attorneys.

Swecker, the panel lead, is a North Carolina-based attorney who has conducted reviews of several North Carolina law enforcement agencies as well as Vogel Nuclear Power Plant.

"It's an honor for me to support our men and women, our sons and daughters in uniform, to ensure they live and work in environments where they feel safe and respected," Swecker said in a statement.

"As a representative of the panel, I commit to providing a complete and thorough review of the command climate at Fort Hood and to follow the facts wherever they lead," Swecker said.

According to the Army, the panel -- with assistance from a brigadier general and staff -- will "review historical data and conduct interviews with military members, civilians and members of the local community."

The results of the review will be submitted to James E. McPherson, Under Secretary of the Army, and Gen. Joseph M. Martin, the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army. McPherson and Martin will co-chair an implementation team to consider every recommendation and implement changes "as appropriate."

Senate abruptly cancels confirmation hearing for top Pentagon official
Washington DC (UPI) Jul 30, 2020 - A scheduled confirmation hearing for a senior civilian position in the Trump administration was was canceled at the last minute Thursday morning.

Anthony J. Tata was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as undersecretary of defense for policy, but has faced criticism for past remarks including calling former President Barack Obama "a terrorist leader."

Sources told the Washington Post that by Wednesday afternoon the administration had determined it did not have enough Republican votes to confirm Tata.

"There are many Democrats and Republicans who didn't know enough about Anthony Tata to consider him for a very significant position at this time," Senate Armed Services Committee chair Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) said in a statement Thursday.

"We didn't get the required documentation in time; some documents, which we normally get before a hearing, didn't arrive until yesterday. As I told the President last night, we're simply out of time with the August recess coming, so it wouldn't serve any useful purpose to have a hearing at this point, and he agreed."

The Pentagon did not comment on whether Trump has withdrawn Tata's nomination, referring questions on the matter to the White House.

In recent weeks Tata has served in an unconfirmed capacity as a senior adviser to Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper.

The hearing was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Thursday and lawmakers were notified of its cancellation by 8 a.m.

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State Dept approves possible $59.6M sale of training ammo to Kuwait
Washington DC (UPI) Jul 28, 2020
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