NAS Pensacola Attack: US Defense Secretary Orders Review Of Military Base Security
The call follows a shooting at a naval base in Florida that left three sailors dead.
by Tom Sables
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper has ordered a review of a screening programme for all foreign personnel training at military bases in America.
The move follows the shooting of three sailors at a naval base in Florida on Friday by a Saudi gunman.
The attacker, a Second Lieutenant in the Saudi Air Force, opened fire in a classroom building at the US Naval Air Station in Pensacola - the incident is being treated by the FBI as an act of terrorism.
Speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum at the Reagan Presidential Library on Saturday, the following day of the attack, Mr Esper said:
“Yesterday, I directed that we look at our security precautions across the services and all of our installations and bases and facilities to make sure that we’ve got the appropriate degree of security to protect our service members and their families and our communities.
“At the same time, I also directed that we look at our vetting procedures within DoD for all the many foreign nationals that come, for good reason, to our country to train,” Mr Esper said.
Officials are trying to determine whether the gunman, Second Lieutenant Mohammed Alshamrani, 21, acted alone.
The shooter was a flight student at Pensacola, where members of foreign militaries are routinely trained by the US.
All of the international students at the base have been accounted for, with no arrests made, according to FBI Special Agent Rachel L Rojas.
The FBI also stated that the community is under no immediate threat.
Alshamrani opened fire inside a classroom at the base - killing three people and wounding two sheriff's deputies, before one of the deputies killed him. Eight others were also hurt.
The three men killed in the attack have been identified by the US Navy - aged between 19 and 23.
The US has sought the assistance of Saudi officials as they try to piece together information about the gunman and his motive.
Cover image: Defense Secretary Mark Esper speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum (Picture: US Department of Defense).