Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has accused the independent watchdog for the Pentagon of being “weaponized” and says he’s overhauling the inspector general’s office.

Military bases with a high risk for sexual assault, harassment and other such harmful behaviors often have leaders who don’t understand violence prevention, don’t make it a priority and focus more on their mission than on their people.

The Army said Friday that it has now taken disciplinary action against 21 officers and non-commissioned officers at Fort Hood, Texas, in connection with death last year of Spc. Vanessa Guillén, who was missing for about two months before her remains were found.

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)WASHINGTON – Lawmakers expressed frustration Tuesday with how slowly improvements are being made to criminal investigation at Fort Hood, Texas, where rates of violent crime and sexual assaults are particularly high. More than two dozen Fort Hood soldiers died in 2020, including in multiple homicides and suicides. The review also concluded that the Army CID was understaffed, overwhelmed and filled with inexperienced investigators. Elder Fernandes, who was missing for more than a week last year before he was found dead about 28 miles from Fort Hood. AdAs a result of the independent review and other investigations, the Army earlier this year took action against 14 officers and enlisted soldiers at Fort Hood.

The Army says it has fired or suspended 14 officers and enlisted soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, and ordered policy changes to address chronic leadership failures at the base that contributed to a widespread pattern of violence including murder, sexual assaults and harassment. 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. Mejhor Morta was found near a reservoir by Fort Hood. The five-member panel spent three weeks at Fort Hood and conducted more than 2,500 interviews, including 647 in person. Fort Hood, he said, has the highest rate of positive drug tests in the Army.

Guillen, who was last seen on April 22, was laid to rest nearly four months after she is said to have been killed by a fellow soldier at Fort Hood, a U.S. Army base in Texas. McCarthy and other senior Army leaders are expected to announce the results of the review on Tuesday. Army leaders have already delayed Efflandt's planned transfer to Fort Bliss, where he was slated to take over leadership of the 1st Armored Division. In a recent video message on Twitter, McCarthy said he had reviewed the findings of the independent commission he sent to assess the command climate at Fort Hood. All together, so far this year, 25 soldiers assigned to Fort Hood have died due to suicide, homicide or accidents, compared with 32 last year and 24 in 2018.

FILE - In this July 30, 2020, file photo, supporters of the family of slain Army Spc. The death of Guillen, who was slain by a fellow soldier at the Texas Army base where they both worked, has been classified as "in the line of duty," according to a report by U.S. Army officials. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)KILLEEN, Texas – The family of a Texas soldier whose on-base killing sparked calls in Congress for changes in the way the military handles sexual abuse and harassment is entitled to benefits, including compensation, because her death happened “in the line of duty,” U.S. Army officials announced. Officials said they had evidence that Guillén did face other kinds of harassment by other people at the Texas base. According to the Army's report, Guillén “died by homicide” at 11 a.m. on April 22.

Members of Congress launched an investigation of Fort Hood in September after Sgt. Elder Fernandes was found dead on Aug. 25 hanging from a tree in Temple, Texas, months after reporting sexual harassment. A Fort Hood officer went with his wife to their apartment during one altercation after Buxton called for help. A Fort Hood spokesperson said they had no information on this allegation. “How many more must die at Fort Hood for them to be held accountable?” Lupe Guillen said.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Following the disappearance, death and dismemberment of a Fort Hood, Texas, soldier in April, a local organization was created to raise awareness about military sexual assault. About two dozen people met Saturday at Treaty Oak Park on Prudential Drive as Military Sexual Trauma survivors with Our Sister’s Keeper Movement shared their stories aloud -- outraged by what happened to Guillen. Women veterans said they have decided to not be silent anymore about Military Sexual Trauma. “I was actually raped three times in seven years,” said Katie Chorbak, founder of Our Sister’s Keeper Movement. Our Sister’s Keeper Movement says there are resources in the community available, including Northeast Florida Women Veterans and the Vet Center.

Reps. Jackie Speier, a Democrat from California, and Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma, said their bill would make sexual harassment a crime within the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The bill is named I Am Vanessa Guillen after the hashtag that was used by military sexual assault survivors to denounce their experiences on social media when Spc. According to Natalie Khawam, who represents the Guillen family, Guillen told her mother that a soldier of a higher rank walked in and watched her while she was showering. A coalition of military sexual assault survivors along with Democratic and Republican members of Congress joined Speier, Mullin, the Guillen family and Natalie Khawam, who represents the Guillen family, to present the bill at the U.S. Capitol. Officials said they had evidence that Guillen did face other kinds of harassment by other people at the Central Texas base.

Gloria Guillen, the mother of slain Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen, meets with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday, July 30, 2020, in Washington.

Vanessa Guillen, meets with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday, July 30, 2020, in Washington. The truth will come out whether they like it or not, said Lupe Guillen, the younger sister of Vanessa Guillen, said ahead of the meeting with the president. John Wittman, a spokesperson for Abbott, said the governors office has not heard from the Guillen family but is prepared to help. Governor Abbott's heart aches for the Guillen family and he and the First Lady keep them in their prayers, Wittman said in a text message. And if I can help you out with the funeral, Ill help you out, financially, Ill help you, Trump said.

Vanessa Guillen, who investigators say was bludgeoned to death at Fort Hood by a fellow soldier. Aguilar, 22, of Killeen, Texas, near Fort Hood, is currently in custody at the Bell County Jail. The Army says the gun Robinson used was not issued by Fort Hood, but it's unclear where he got it. Army officials said 52 agents from multiple military and civilian law enforcement agencies have conducted more than 300 interviews investigating Guillen's killing. That has lasted for more than 170 days, and Army officials say that has led to forensic examinations of more than 50 phones.

Army investigators believe Guillen, a Texas soldier missing since April, was killed by another soldier on the Texas base where they served, the attorney for the missing soldier's family said Thursday. (Steve Gonzales/Houston Chronicle via AP)DALLAS Army investigators have identified the body of a soldier who vanished more than two months ago from a base in Texas, according to a lawyer for the soldiers family. Vanessa Guilln and Army officials informed her family in Houston Sunday, attorney Natalie Khawam told The Associated Press. Guilln, who had been missing since April, was killed and dismembered by a fellow soldier who took his own life last week, federal and military investigators have said. Army officials identified the soldier suspected in Guillns disappearance as Aaron David Robinson.

Army investigators believe Guillen, a Texas soldier missing since April, was killed by another soldier on the Texas base where they served, the attorney for the missing soldier's family said Thursday. Human remains were found Tuesday near the Leon River in Bell County, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Fort Hood, in the search for Guillen. The criminal complaint released later Thursday said the civilian arrested in connection to the Guillen case is Cecily Aguilar, 22, of Killeen, Texas, near Fort Hood. From their text conversations, Mayra Guillen said she believed her sister was afraid during her time at Fort Hood. Guillen was last seen April 22 in a parking lot at Fort Hood.

Army investigators believe Guillen, a Texas soldier missing since April, was killed by another soldier on the Texas base where they served, the attorney for the missing soldier's family said Thursday. (Steve Gonzales/Houston Chronicle via AP)AUSTIN, Texas Federal and military investigators said Thursday a soldier missing since April was killed by a fellow soldier stationed at the same Texas base. Human remains were found Tuesday near the Leon River in Bell County, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Fort Hood, in the search for Guillen. The criminal complaint released later Thursday said the civilian arrested in connection to the Guillen case is Cecily Aguilar, 22, of Killeen, Texas, near Fort Hood. From their text conversations, Mayra Guillen said she believed her sister was afraid during her time at Fort Hood.