Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is planning to order a review of physical security and access to all US military installations worldwide, a senior Pentagon official said Tuesday, one day after a Navy reservist with a troubled history killed 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard . Skip to next paragraph Secretary Hagel spent much of the day on Tuesday collecting input from senior officials to define the parameters of the review, which could be formally announced as soon as Wednesday, according to the official. Word of the impending review follows news that a previously unreleased Department of Defense Inspector General (DOD IG) report detailed “critical flaws” in base security at Navy installations, including the practice of contracting out base guard duty to nongovernmental personnel. The DOD IG report, dated for release on Sept. 16, the date of the Navy Yard attack, cites instances in which “52 convicted felons received routine, unauthorized installation access, placing military personnel, dependents, civilians, and installations at an increased security risk.”  This was the result of efforts on the part of Navy officials “to reduce access control costs,” according to the inspector general report. The report leveled another critique as well ­– that the commander, Navy Installations Command was “non-responsive” regarding the recommendations of the Pentagon inspector general. These revelations about the DOD IG investigation in turn prompted calls for change. In the wake of the Navy Yard attacks, “I am highly concerned that the access control systems at our nation’s military installations have serious […]

Source www.csmonitor.com