Military installations across the country are increasing security measures and suspending certain base visiting privileges following attacks by one current and one former service member last week in New Orleans and Las Vegas.

Bases on Friday began announcing the suspension of the Trusted Traveler Program -- an initiative that allows vetted Defense Department personnel to bring people in their vehicle through installation gates and onto bases. The move to suspend the program until further notice was ordered by U.S. Northern Command and applies to all bases, facilities and units in North America, including Alaska, within its area of responsibility.

"Drivers should expect delays and random inspections at entry gates as we enhance the security posture of our installation to ensure our ability to project combat power when and where required," a notice from Marine Corps Base Quantico said.

Various bases across the country also announced there would be random inspections and 100% identification checks as well. The Trusted Traveler Program applied to Defense Department identification card holders -- such as Common Access Cards or Defense Biometric Identification System cards -- and allowed them to escort people onto base.

Now, those without those identification cards will be required to obtain a base pass from an installation's visitor center to get past the security gates. The Trusted Traveler Program cut through that paperwork and allowed traffic to move more steadily in front of installations.

"The increased force protection measures directed by USNORTHCOM are a prudent measure to ensure the safety and security of our installations and personnel," Maj. Jennifer Staton, a Department of Defense spokesperson, told Military.com.

The active-duty Green Beret behind the suicide bombing in a Tesla Cybertruck in Las Vegas and the Army veteran who plowed a truck through a crowd in New Orleans on New Year's Day had a brief overlap in their service at Fort Liberty, North Carolina.

However, despite their shared history at the base, formerly Fort Bragg, law enforcement officials have said there's no evidence the two events were linked. The men, Master Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger and Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who were both killed in the incidents, never served in the same unit, according to unit histories provided by the Army.

Livelsberger was a Special Forces operator, serving most of his time in 10th Special Forces Group in Germany and Fort Carson, Colorado, with a short stint in the National Guard's 19th Group in Columbus, Ohio. Jabbar, who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group, had spent his Army career in support roles, serving as an information technology specialist with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Liberty and what is now the 11th Airborne Division in Fort Richardson, Alaska. He left the service as a staff sergeant in 2020 after 12 years.

Livelsberger served at Fort Liberty from December 2012 to October 2013, supporting the school that trains upcoming Green Berets, according to service records. Jabbar served at the base from June 2012 to January 2015 with the 82nd Airborne Division's Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Brigade Combat Team.

Fort Liberty is a big base and one of the Army's most high-profile installations, serving as the headquarters for its special operations forces and the 82nd Airborne -- both among the most prestigious organizations in the service. More than 50,000 soldiers are assigned there.

Although most U.S. presidential nominees for cabinet positions usually sail through with pro forma approval, Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald J. Trump's pick for secretary of defense, is one of several nominations already sparking controversy largely due to his past comments about women in the military and programs designed to foster diversity in the ranks.

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The main reason for concern about the U.S. military and its performance has to do with the variety of U.S. commitments and the complexity of U.S. global responsibilities. A number of trends are moving the rules-based international order previously dominated by the United States toward a more pluralistic and competitive structure of interstate behaviors. These developments include the growing alignment of Russia, China, Iran and North Korea; the evolution of BRICS (originally Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, now evolving into an expanded membership, including important actors in the so-called Global South); the rise of China into an economic and military superpower, with its aspirations to dominate global infrastructure and connectivity; the persistent stalemate in Russia's war against Ukraine and the costs for the United States and its NATO partners in supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression; the continuation of unconventional warfare in the form of terrorist attacks by Iranian proxies in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen; and, finally, the challenge of potentially breakthrough or game-changing technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics (including upscale drones and hypersonics) and a growing dependency on space based systems.