Military Preps For COVID-19 Outbreak in the USA
U.S. Northern Command is reported to be executing plans to prepare for a potential pandemic of the novel coronavirus, now called COVID-19, according to reporting by the militarytimes.com
An executive order approved by Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper during February 2020, directed Northern Command and geographic combatant commanders to initiate pandemic plans.
These plans include but are not limited to, ordering commanders to prepare for widespread outbreaks and confining service members with a history of travel to China.
The Navy and Marine Corps messages, issued Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, reference an executive order directing U.S. Northern Command to implement the Department of Defense Global Campaign plan for Pandemic Influenza and Infectious Diseases 3551-13.
The document serves as the Pentagon’s blueprint for planning and preparing for the widespread dispersion of influenza and previously unknown diseases.
According to the Marine Corps message MARADMIN 082/20, commanders are to review their disease containment plans and take “preparatory and precautionary actions” to protect service members, installations and ships.
‘As military professionals, planning for a range of contingencies is something we owe the American people,’ Navy Lt. Cmdr. Mike Hatfield said, as reported by the militarytimes.com.
“We coordinate with other combatant commands to assess potential impacts in the event of a pandemic and we ensure the U.S. military is poised to respond as required,” Hatfield said in a statement.
As reported by the GAO in 2017, the Department of Defense (DOD) has developed guidance and plans to direct its efforts to provide assistance in support of civil authorities—in particular the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Homeland Security (DHS)—in the event of a domestic outbreak of a pandemic disease.
The DOD also assists those agencies in the preparedness, detection, and response to other non-pandemic viruses.
The HHS and DHS departments have plans to guide their response to a pandemic, but their plans do not explain how they would respond in a resource-constrained environment in which capabilities like those provided by DOD are limited.
Additionally, on February 10, 2020, the DOD said it will enable HHS the use of 9 additional military bases in the USA as quarantine facilities.
This announcement follows previous HHS disclosures that certain military bases located in the USA are being utilized as ‘quarantine facilities related to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak.’
Recently, the U.S. Secretary of State Micheal R. Pompeo’s office announced ‘the United States government is prepared to spend up to $100 million dollars in existing funds to assist China and other impacted countries to contain and combat the novel coronavirus.’
This announced on February 8, 2020, ‘demonstrates strong U.S. leadership in response to the COVID-19 outbreak,’ says this State Department press release.
‘This commitment – along with the hundreds of millions generously donated by the American private sector – demonstrates strong U.S. leadership in response to the outbreak.’
COVID-19 outbreak news published by Coronavirus Today.