Insider Threats: DOD Should Improve Information Sharing and Oversight to Protect U.S. Installations

Abstract

The attacks at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009, and at the Washington Navy Yard, D.C., on September 16, 2013, drew nationwide attention to insider threats at DOD installations. DOD defines an insider threat as the threat that an insider will use her or his authorized access, wittingly or unwittingly, to do harm to the security of the United States. House report 113-446 included a provision that GAO review DOD s antiterrorism and force protection efforts to address insider threats. This report evaluates the extent to which DOD has (1) reflected insider threat considerations in its force protection policies and other guidance, (2) shared actions that U.S. installations have taken to protect against insider threats, and (3) implemented recommendations from the official reviews of the 2009 Fort Hood and 2013 Washington Navy Yard shootings. GAO reviewed official reviews from the shootings, DOD force protection related policies, interviewed agency officials, and visited eight nongeneralizable U.S. installations representing all four military services, a joint base, and different geographic locations. GAO recommends that DOD consistently use existing mechanisms to share information about actions taken to protect against threats, and take steps to improve the consistency of reporting and monitoring of the implementation of the recommendations from the 2009 Fort Hood review. DOD concurred with GAO s recommendations and cited related actions planned or under way.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 2015
Accession Number
ADA621550

Entities

People

  • Amber L. Roberts
  • Ashley Hess
  • Edwin Yuen
  • Joseph W. Kirschbaum
  • Michael Pose
  • Tommy Baril

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Antiterrorism
  • Army Personnel
  • Congress
  • Emergency Response
  • First Responders
  • Homeland Security
  • Information Exchange
  • Insider Threats
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Security
  • Security Personnel
  • Social Media
  • United States
  • United States Government

Readers

  • Government Contracting/Procurement.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.
  • Strategic Security Studies