Congressman Brown: "We Have A Responsibility To Ensure The Young Men And Women Who Wear The Uniform Are Properly Trained And Supervised To Avoid Preventable Accidents"

Press Release

Congressman Anthony G. Brown (MD-04) highlighted the results of a new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) on steps the U.S. Army and Marine Corps should take to "mitigate and prevent" fatal training accidents.

In the summer of 2019, Congressman Brown and a group of lawmakers requested GAO conduct a study of non-combat deaths involving tactical vehicles after the tragic death of Marine 1LT Hugh Conor McDowell, a former Chestertown (Md.) resident who was a victim of a training rollover at Camp Pendleton. McDowell was one of six killed and nine injured in a two-month period that year.

The GAO conducted a review of 10 years of Army and Marine Corps training mishaps involving combat vehicles, as well as training procedures and safety standards. The results showed a pattern of deaths and injuries despite the Army and Marine Corps having "established practices to mitigate and prevent tactical vehicle accidents." GAO found that "units did not consistently implement these practices," leading to increased incidents caused by "driver inattentiveness, lapses in supervision, and lack of training." GAO provided nine recommendations to improve safety.

"We have a responsibility to ensure the young men and women who wear the uniform are properly trained and supervised to avoid preventable accidents. It's clear the Army and Marine Corps have deficiencies in mitigating these tactical vehicle accidents, which are also an early indication of a gap in readiness," said Congressman Brown. "This report is only the beginning of our efforts. We have to conduct oversight over the implementation of these GAO recommendations and other measures that protect servicemembers through better data collection and promoting a culture of safety within the Department. I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance these goals in the upcoming National Defense Authorization Act."

"The GAO report is a starting point. But its recommendations need to be strengthened, improved, and added to. The Pentagon must be mandated by Congress to implement safety reforms, which are quite cost-effective and will save lives and money," said Michael McDowell, the father of 1st Lt. Conor McDowell who was killed in a vehicle rollover accident during training. "The Army and Marine Corps must then report back to Congress and the public on what actions they have taken and when. These measures will absolutely save lives and spare families the cruel grief of the losses of their loved ones."

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