Hasan Probe Will Include Pentagon

The Defense Department will launch a broad investigation in light of the Fort Hood shootings that looks at how all the U.S. military services keep a watch on potential problems in their ranks.

Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said the probe will reach all corners of the Pentagon. In an interview, he said it is in the planning stages and that the issues raised by the case of accused shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan are larger than the Army.

He said Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants a unified look at procedures. Gates has been seeking advice throughout the highest levels of the Pentagon for how the review should be carried out, a defense official told CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier.

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The investigation also will involve questions that Morrell described as immediate, although he declined to be specific. Morrell said some questions will take longer to frame and sort through.

Another official said there will be a fast look at whether the military has missed red flags that might signal there are other potentially dangerous service members in uniform. That official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is still being organized.

The Army also has been preparing to launch its .

"We are trying to figure out who should lead it and how it should be staffed, the scope, the deadlines, the mandate, the breadth of the investigation. These are questions that are still being wrestled with," Morrell told CBS News. He said a firmer plan is expected by the end of the week.

Fort Hood, one of the country's largest military installations, was considered the best assignment for Hasan because other doctors could handle the workload if he continued to perform poorly and his superiors could document any continued behaviour problems, the official said.

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The group saw no evidence that Hasan was violent or a threat. It was more that he repeatedly referred to his strong religious views in discussions with classmates, his superiors and even in his research work, the official said. His behavior, while at times perceived as intense and combative, was not unlike the zeal of others with strong religious views. But some doctors and staff were concerned that their unfamiliarity with the Muslim faith would lead them to unfairly single out Hasan's behavior, the official said.

Some in the group questioned Hasan's sympathies as an Army psychiatrist, whether he would be more aligned with Muslims fighting U.S. troops. And there was some concern about whether he should continue to serve in the military, the official said.