**Up to eight US army officers face disciplinary action over the behaviour of a major accused of a shooting spree, officials quoted by US media say.**Thirteen people died when psychiatrist Major Nidal Hasan opened fire at the Fort Hood base in Texas last November.
According to an inquiry, Maj Hasan’s previous behaviour should have sounded alarm bells, the unnamed officials say.
Defence secretary Robert Gates has said that army superiors must be “attuned to personnel who may pose a danger”.
“Failure to do so, or kicking the problem to the next unit, may lead to damaging or even devastating consequences,” he warned, after reading a Pentagon report on the incident.
‘Evolving security threat’
Mr Gates did not comment directly on the reports of officers being disciplined over the Fort Hood case, but he did admit that the incident raised “serious questions” about the defence department’s ability to address internal, as well as external, threats.
"We have not done enough to adapt to the evolving security threat that has emerged over the past decade.
“The department is burdened by 20th Century attitudes rooted in the Cold War,” he said.
He added that there had been no well-integrated means of gathering and disseminating the wide range of behavioural indicators that could help identify a threat.
Mr Gates announced that the investigation’s immediate findings would be implemented by March.
Maj Hasan, a 39-year-old American-born Muslim, will be tried in a military court, but it has not yet been confirmed whether military authorities are seeking the death penalty in the case.
Promotion and praise
According to reports published in the Los Angeles Times and by the Associated Press, Maj Hasan had shown lax work habits and a fixation on religion, was overweight and physically unfit.
He was also something of a loner, failing to socialise with work colleagues, and developed ever more strident views on Islam.
Yet he had been repeatedly promoted, and was awarded a military fellowship to continue his studies.
The army, the Los Angeles Times reported, seemed to overlook his behaviour because they were delighted to have found a doctor with a good undergraduate record, previous service in the infantry and Islamic faith.