The July 16 shooting at the U.S. Naval and Marine Reserve Center in Chattanooga could change security at similar Navy sites across the nation. The Navy is investigating everything from the site’s layout to the policies that govern how personnel respond to such attacks, a Navy spokesman said Friday.
The Navy began the official investigation into the Chattanooga attack on Aug. 11, said Capt. Jack Hanzlik, Fleet Forces Command public affairs officer. The first report should be finished by the end of September, he said. The Navy’s team of 20 people, led by Rear Adm. Frank Morneau, also will look at how well the Navy communicated with law enforcement and medical responders, and how survivors and victims were supported during and after the attack.
The investigation is meant to ensure Navy personnel have adequate protection, Hanzlik said.
“The recommendations from procedure, policy and regulations as well as infrastructure changes, could impact facilities Navywide,” he said. “Chattanooga is not co-located on a large military base, and so, because of that uniqueness, this would have potential implications for other similar facilities.”
Gunman Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez, 24, killed four U.S. Marines and mortally wounded a Navy specialist when he stormed the site off Amnicola Highway.