Defense Secretary Robert Gates will announce Thursday that the unified review will involve a number of components, and will call for a quick, short-term report, followed by a longer, more extensive study, according to an administration official.

Components of the wide-ranging probe could include self-examinations by the Army and the military's medical community, and likely look at personnel policies and the availability of mental health services for troubled troops.

It would go well beyond the specific case of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people and wounding more than 30 in the shootings at the Texas military base on Nov. 5.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because announcements have not yet been made. The identity of the former official leading the review was not revealed.

Details were still being worked out Wednesday night, but the review would mirror other department inquiries during Gates' tenure, including a probe of the Air Force's handling of nuclear materials.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.