The wording is interesting. No “current threat”? But what about past and future threats? And do Pentagon officials even know what to look for? They’re largely committed to the fantasy that Islam is a religion of peace that has nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism. Did they examine what these trainees have learned in Saudi schools and mosques? Why not? Because Spencer Ackerman would get angry? So how many more people have to die for these fictions?

“After Pensacola shooting, Pentagon screening of Saudi military trainees finds no imminent threat,” by Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today, December 19, 2019:

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon has found nothing indicating a current threat among Saudi military trainees after scouring government and commercial databases in a search for red flags about religious extremism, officials said Thursday.

The expedited screening of more than 850 Saudi students at U.S. bases wasintended [sic] to thwart attacks like the Dec. 6 rampage in which a Saudi officer gunned down three others at a Navy base in Florida.

The Pentagon is working on plans for more stringent background checks for all foreign military students training in the United States, said Garry Reid, a Defense intelligence official.

The review, conducted after the shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola, found nothing that would indicate other Saudi trainees pose a threat, according to a senior Defense official who was not authorized to speak publicly because of the ongoing investigation.

The Pentagon task force reviewing the vetting of foreign students is likely to recommend continuous screening of government and commercial databases, including social media posts, for red flags, the official said….

After the attack, the Pentagon grounded Saudi pilots training in the United States. The Saudi students have resumed classroom training but not flight training with the Navy or Air Force, according to Cdr. Clay Doss, a Navy spokesman, and Ann Stefanek of the Air Force.

Since 2000, more than 1 million foreign troops have been trained by American forces here and abroad, according to Army Lt. Gen. Charles Hooper, who directs the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. That includes more than 28,000 Saudi nationals.

“International military students are here as student visitors to learn skills and professions, but also to learn about our people, our culture, and our values,” Hooper told reporters last week. “And this cannot be overstated.”

“These human relationships,” he said, “promote long-term defense and strategic relationships, increase our interoperability, and enable partners to contribute to our shared security objectives over the long term.”

Vetting of foreign military trainees has mainly been done by the State Department, with input from the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, according to a senior Defense official who was not authorized to speak publicly….