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DOD to Update Vetting Procedures for Foreign Students

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The Defense Department will announce updates to the vetting process for foreign military students "in the coming days," the assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs said.

Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper will visit Pensacola Naval Air Station and U.S. Southern Command headquarters in Florida on Jan. 22-23, Jonathan Rath Hoffman told members of the Pentagon press corps during a news conference today.

During his visit, the secretary will provide an update to air station leaders on the new vetting and security procedures following the shooting there last month by a military student from Saudi Arabia, Hoffman said.

A man in a camouflage uniform holds a rifle, in pieces, while other men observe.
Battalion Training
A Spanish Army Battalion Training Team 3 instructor demonstrates how to assemble and disassemble an M249 light machine gun to Iraqi police from the 3rd Battalion, 20th Brigade Federal Police at the Bismayah Training Center in Iraq, Dec. 29, 2019. The training familiarized the Iraqi police with M249 light machine gun operations, capabilities and weapons maintenance.
Photo By: Army Cpl. Janzael Sanchez
VIRIN: 191229-A-GR539-1031

Vetting had previously been handled by the home country of the students, the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department. "We've taken an enhanced look on how we can use our resources to do enhanced vetting," he said. "We owe that to our people and owe that to the families, but we also want to ensure that this program continues."

Hoffman said that DOD considers the international military training program "incredibly valuable," noting that more than a million students from about 150 countries have trained in the U.S. over the program's 20-year life "and until the Pensacola shooting, we've never had a serious security incident."

Two men in camouflage uniforms look at a map.
Land Navigation
Partner nation students from Nigeria and Sierra Leone conduct land navigation and reconnaissance tactics at the John C. Stennis Space Center, Miss., Nov. 20, 2019.
Photo By: Michael Williams, Navy
VIRIN: 191120-N-ZM469-6593

"We will announce these new measures shortly, which will include physical security procedures as well," he said.

The trip, Esper's first this year, will also allow the secretary to thank the first responders at Pensacola in person for their leadership and courage during the shooting, Hoffman said. 

At Southcom, the defense secretary will meet with the Southcom commander, Navy Adm. Craig Faller, "and be briefed on Southcom's progress in implementing the National Defense Strategy," Hoffman said.

"We share strong ties of democracy with our southern neighbors, and we look to strengthen those partnerships as global competitors — who do not share similar values — insert themselves into the region," he said.

Iraq

The U.S. is still in conversations with Iraq following an operational pause after the Iranian missile attack last week, Hoffman said. "These are conversations that routine [and] are persistent with regard to what our force posture is and is going to continue to be."

Two men in camouflage uniforms stand near a sandbag wall looking out over a town.
Giving Directions
Maj. Gen. Sirwan Barzani, a peshmerga commander, shows Army Col. Scott Holden, Kurdistan Coordination Center director, the town of Gwer, which was at one point under the control of ISIS when they covered much of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Dec. 14, 2019.
Photo By: Army Cpl. Angel Ruszkiewicz
VIRIN: 191214-A-JD648-1271

There are no plans by the U.S. military to withdraw from the country, he said, adding that "the consensus in Iraq seems to be that the United States forces there are a force for good."

The defensive measures enacted during the attack by the mission commander in Iraq worked, Hoffman said. U.S. troops continue to be co-located with Iraqi forces and continue to do the planning and to address operational matters, he said, noting that "Operations still continue to take place in Syria."

Condolence Message

Hoffman offered the department's condolences to the family and friends of Army Staff Sgt. Ian P. McLaughlin and Pfc. Miguel A. Villalon, the two soldiers killed last week in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, during operations in support of NATO's Resolute Support Mission. He noted that Deputy Defense Secretary David L. Norquist attended the dignified transfer of remains earlier this week. 

"The department is also mourning the loss of a soldier who died in a training incident in Arizona, and we extend our condolences to their family and friends," Hoffman said.

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