Pentagon set to ramp up student vetting after Pensacola shooting
Foreign military students in the United States will face new restrictions after the shooting at a Florida naval base in December.
The Pentagon will place new restrictions on foreign military students training in the United States after a Saudi aviation student killed three and wounded eight in a shooting at a naval air station in Pensacola, Florida, last month.
Changes include implementing a biometric identification system that will control on-base access for foreign students, and new restrictions on possessing firearms imposed by Defense Secretary Mark Esper, a senior defense official said today.
Officials also said they will add additional visa requirements to help US authorities track down students who go absent from bases, though screening will vary depending on the installation and the military service involved. The Pentagon will provide overall guidance on implementing the new measures.
“Everything we’ve been putting in place is applied to our own service members,” a senior defense official said. “We will be looking at a compilation of available data on a near real-time basis.”
