HELENA - Commanders at Fort Harrison moved swiftly Thursday in the wake of the Fort Hood, Texas, shootings to see if any Montana troops are currently at the Army's largest military post.

Col. Ken Switzer, vice chief of the joint staff of the Montana National Guard, said Thursday that the command would also begin reviewing Fort Harrison's own policies and security plans in the wake of the Texas shooting, which left at least 12 dead and 31 wounded.

"We're reviewing our procedures and looking at everything," Switzer said. "While it looks like an isolated incident down there, we're watching it closely."

While details of the shooting were still uncertain late Thursday afternoon, and while base commanders were still waiting for details, soldiers at Montana's largest Army base were told to stay vigilant and keep an eye out for unusual activity.

Switzer said commanders were getting much of their information from the television news and were still waiting for details.

"We're talking to our soldiers and airmen, our security at the gate, and asking them to be aware of unusual activity," Switzer said. "We'll be looking at how we would react to something like this."

Switzer didn't believe any Montana troops were at the mobility processing center at Fort Hood, where the shootings occurred. Still, he said, they were conducting a thorough review.

"We're looking to see if we have any soldiers down there, but we're not sure on that yet," Switzer said. "We feel like we're pretty safe right now and we're accounting for our soldiers."

Reporter Martin Kidston: 447-4086 or mkidston@helenair.com