VOA标准英语2009-Pentagon Reviews Security After Ft. Hood Sho

By Al Pessin
The Pentagon
16 November 2009

The Pentagon says Defense¹ Secretary Robert Gates has ordered top officials to review security measures following the shootings earlier this month at Ft. Hood² in Texas, in which a U.S. Army officer killed 12 fellow-soldiers and one civilian³. 

Pentagon Spokesman Bryan Whitman says Secretary Gates has met with top officials and told them to ensure the investigation⁴ into the Ft. Hood massacre⁵ is comprehensive, and also to look at whether there was anything the department could have done to prevent it.

 
Military personnel carry the casket of Michael Grant Cahill to St. Monica's Church in Cameron, Texas, 15 Nov 2009
"An incident like this obviously gives you the opportunity to pause and ask yourself, 'Are we doing everything we can and should be doing to address the range of issues that come out of an event like this," he said.

The Defense Department effort is part of a broad review President Obama has ordered. In his weekly radio and Internet address Saturday, he called the Ft. Hood incident "unthinkable."

"Given the potential warning signs that may have been known prior these shootings, we must uncover what steps - if any - could have been taken to avert⁶ this tragedy," said Mr. Obama.

The president said he met twice with senior officials in the hours after the shootings, and ordered them to conduct "a full review of the sequence of events that led up to the shootings."

"The purpose of this review is clear: We must compile every piece of information that was known about the gunman, and we must learn what was done with that information. Once we have those facts, we must act upon them," he said. "If there was a failure to take appropriate action before the shootings, there must be accountability. Beyond that - and most importantly - we must quickly and thoroughly⁷ evaluate and address any flaws in the system, so that we can prevent a similar breach⁸ from happening again," he added.

 
Nidal Malik Hasan (2007 file) (picture provided by the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences) 
Reports about the investigation say the alleged⁹ gunman, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, had contacts with a militant¹⁰ imam in Yemen and may have transferred money to some individuals or groups in Pakistan, where many militant groups operate. He also made a presentation at a medical conference that some now say hinted that he had militant views. 

There are questions about how much Army officials knew about Major Hasan's alleged foreign contacts and political leanings, and whether they could have taken some action that might have prevented the massacre. President Obama said the U.S. government must be able to act decisively when information surfaces about a potential threat.

At the Pentagon, Bryan Whitman would not provide any details about what types of changes are being considered.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

3 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

6 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。

7 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

8 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

9 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

10 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。