WASHINGTON – (Update: The livestream is over. Please check back for more livestreams from KSAT.com).
The House Armed Services Subcommittee will hold a hearing on “Fort Hood 2020: The Findings and Recommendations of the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee” on Wednesday afternoon.
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The hearing takes place a day after the Army said it has fired or suspended 14 officers and enlisted soldiers at Fort Hood following a pattern of violence.
The hearing in Washington D.C. will be livestreamed in this article at noon, but delays are possible. If there is not a livestream available, check back at a later time.
Witnesses will include members of the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee, according to CNN.
The Army on Tuesday announced policy changes at the Central Texas base to address chronic failures of leadership that contributed to violence, including murder, sexual assault and harassment.
In a sweeping condemnation of Fort Hood's command hierarchy, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy fired three top commanders and suspended two others pending a further investigation. He also ordered a separate probe into staffing and procedures at the base's Criminal Investigation Command unit, which is responsible for investigating crimes on Fort Hood.
The actions come after a year that saw at least 25 soldiers assigned to Fort Hood die due to suicide, homicide or accidents, including the bludgeoning death of Spc. Vanessa Guillen. Guillen was missing for about two months before her remains were found.
Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, McCarthy said based on an independent panel’s review, he concluded that the issues at Fort Hood, including major flaws in the response to sexual assault and harassment, “are directly related to leadership failures.” He said he was gravely disappointed in the commanders there, adding, “without leadership, systems don’t matter.”
The five-member panel spent three weeks at Fort Hood and conducted more than 2,500 interviews, including 647 in person. More than 500 of those were with female soldiers. They also collected more than 31,000 responses to a sexual assault and harassment survey. They said they found a deep dissatisfaction with the sexual assault and harassment reporting and response program.
Read more: 14 Fort Hood soldiers fired, suspended over violence at base