Rep. Buchanan advocates military training reforms

Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL)is encouraging the Defense Department and his congressional colleagues to reform military training procedures in the wake of a Bradenton soldier’s death during a training exercise.

Buchanan recently forwarded correspondence to the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees and Defense Secretary Mark Esper that detailed the events surrounding the case of SPC Nicholas Panipinto, one of Buchanan’s constituents. He also proposed changes to the military’s current training and safety protocols to prevent future deaths.

Panipinto died in a training accident at Camp Humphreys in South Korea last November when the M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle he was driving overturned during a road-test, per authorities.

“The heartbreaking and very preventable death of my constituent SPC Nicholas Panipinto clearly shows that changes in training and safety procedures need to be made,” Buchanan said. “The serious deficiencies and failures identified in the report on SPC Panipinto’s death call for immediate reforms within the Department of Defense. I want to make sure that no family has to go through the pain and suffering that SPC Panipinto’s family has faced.”

Buchanan’s suggested reforms include taking steps to ensure compliance and if necessary, strengthening and enhancing current requirements for training and licensing of military drivers; adding a simulated training requirement to existing protocols to ensure new military drivers are properly trained and prepared for assignments; strengthening existing regulations governing the safe and proper functioning of all military equipment used in training exercises; taking steps to ensure a hospital or an emergency medical facility on-campus is at all U.S. military bases on foreign soil; and ensuring U.S. military bases have properly functioning MedEvac helicopters and military ambulances stocked with the appropriate emergency medical supplies.