U.S. Army Fired or Suspended 14 Fort Hood Leaders
Fourteen U.S. Army officials including commanders and other leaders at Fort Hood in Texas have been fired or suspended in an effort to correct a years-long culture of sexual assault and a pattern of violence at the base, Army officials said Tuesday.
Among those relieved was Maj. Gen. Scott L. Efflandt, who was in charge of the base earlier this year when Spc. Vanessa Guillén went missing. Col. Ralph Overland and Command Sgt. Maj. Bradley Knapp were also relieved.
Two other leaders, Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Broadwater and Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas C. Kenny, have been suspended pending the outcome of an investigation into the 1st Cavalry Division’s command climate and Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program.
The Army has also opened a separate investigation into resourcing, policies and procedures of the 6th Military Police Group, the division of the Criminal Investigation Command which conducts felony-level criminal investigations at Fort Hood.
The shakeups come in response to an independent review of the base’s command climate and culture, which McCarthy launched in mid-July amid increasing pressure from Guillén's family, Congress and advocacy groups. McCarthy and other Army leaders will announce the results of the report Tuesday afternoon.
Guillén disappeared in April and her body was found near the Leon River in July. The soldier suspected of killing Guillén, Spc. Aaron Robinson, killed himself as police tried to arrest him. Guillén was the victim of sexual harassment, her sister said, but she didn’t report the sexual harassment out of fear of retaliation.
Between 2014 and 2019, an average of 129 felonies were committed annually at Fort Hood, including murder, kidnapping and sexual assault. McCarthy acknowledged during a press briefing in August that the base had “the most cases for sexual assault and harassment and murders for our entire formation of the U.S. Army.”
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform's Subcommittee on National Security and the House Armed Services' Subcommittee on Military Personnel are conducting a separate investigation into how Fort Hood’s leadership has responded to a series of deaths and instances of sexual harassment and abuse.
