[Guest post by DRJ]

The latest news about Maj. Nidal Hasan involves Army emails suggesting he was “too fat and ‘chronically’ unprofessional during his psychiatric training,” and that raised serious questions about why his Army medical supervisors approved Hasan for promotions.

The emails also suggest the FBI may not be prepared to deal with the enemy within the military:

“The communications are the latest in a series of early signs that showed officers had reason to suspend Maj. Hasan’s training, and perhaps re-evaluate his suitability as a military physician, but failed to do so.

Yet, his bosses at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington allowed him to complete his residency in 2007, enter an advanced fellowship program, win promotion to major and transfer to Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009.

It was there on Nov. 5, while shouting “God is great,” Maj. Hasan fatally shot 13 Army colleagues, according to witnesses.

The e-mails highlight another point at which the U.S. military government could have intervened to stop Maj. Hasan’s career before the shooting. The FBI and other intelligence agencies learned that Maj. Hasan had sent e-mail messages to Anwar al-Awlaki, an al Qaeda-affiliated radical imam in Yemen who urged followers to join the terrorist group and kill Americans.

However, the FBI said in a statement that it dismissed the e-mails as apparently part of Maj. Hasan’s work as a psychiatric counselor. The bureau did not share the intercepted communications with the military people who could have stopped Maj. Hasan, nor did the FBI question the major.”

Sadly, even the Army supervisor who criticized Hasan’s performance and scholarly ability has had to retain an attorney. Today’s Army may have to change its motto from “Go Army – Army Strong” to “Go Army – Get a Lawyer.”

— DRJ