U.S. Army chief nominee says he is open to arming military recruiters

General Mark Milley, President Barack Obama's nominee to become the next top officer in the U.S. Army, said Tuesday he regards it "appropriate" to arm military recruiters in some cases, following the attacks in Chattanooga, Tennessee last week that killed five people including four Marines.

"I think, under certain conditions, both on military bases and in out stations -- recruiting stations, service centers -- that we should seriously consider it (arming troops), and in some cases I think it's appropriate," said Milley at his confirmation hearing in the U.S. Senate.

Milley's endorsement of arming military service members at home came amid a national debate about whether more U.S. service members should be allowed to carry weapons at U.S. military facilities.

Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez, the suspect gunman, opened fire on a recruiting station at Chattanooga, Tennessee, and later ambushed service members at a naval reserve center kilometers away, killing four U.S. Marines and a Navy sailor in the rampage.

Currently, U.S. military troops are banned from carrying weapons within the United States under federal law. In the aftermath of the Tennessee shooting incidents, however, some U.S. lawmakers urged to have the ban repealed and to allow more military personnel to be armed so that they can maintain self- defense when necessary. Endite