Of the roughly 115 policy specialists at the NSC, there are currently just two people who specialize in pandemics, although both have doctorates, with at least one in virology. Both are housed within the WMD directorate.
One official said that the NSC’s senior director for counter-proliferation and biodefense, Anthony Ruggiero, led the initial response and relied heavily on the expertise of biodefense experts and epidemiologists. Deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, formerly the council’s senior director for East Asia policy, has since taken charge under O’Brien.
But neither Ruggiero, a nuclear arms specialist, or Pottinger, a former journalist turned soldier, has experience responding to a global disease outbreak.
Another major national security question: how to keep the military healthy, as thousands of U.S. troops are stationed abroad in countries that have experienced outbreaks. During the 1918 Spanish flu, the virus spread rapidly among soldiers mobilized for World War I, and officials are cognizant of the dangers inherent in large groups of men and women living and working in close proximity.
The Pentagon has been forward leaning on the issue, holding daily press briefings—with chairs for reporters spread far apart—on the steps being taken to mitigate the spread and implementing “social distancing” measures. Those include breaking up large gatherings and chatting via teleconference instead of face-to-face.
At Central Command, meanwhile, all leave and liberty travel has been suspended, and senior leaders are cancelling trips to the region. The U.S. Navy’s 6th Fleet, which oversees Europe and Africa, has also imposed a 14-day quarantine on Navy ships between port calls. On Monday, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy announced that Lt. Gen. Christopher Cavoil, the commander of U.S. Army Europe, as well as several staff members, are working remotely after possibly coming in contact with the virus during a recent conference. Cavoli is the most senior military member so far to possibly be exposed to the virus.
On Tuesday, U.S. Africa Command announced that military leaders from the U.S., Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal would be modifying the size and scope of a military exercise, African Lion, “to minimize exposure of U.S. and partner nation service members to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).” Other U.S. military exercises have already been cancelled, including two joint exercises with Israel and one with South Korea. Last week, 23 U.S. soldiers in Norway for a large-scale exercise were quarantined after possibly encountering a Norwegian service member who tested positive for the virus.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Tuesday announced the decision to postpone an upcoming trip to India, Uzbekistan and Pakistan in order to remain in the United States to help manage the response to the virus. A Navy ceremony set for next week honoring more than three dozen personnel following the Pensacola terrorist attack has also been postponed.
Externally, the Pentagon has begun providing facilities to support quarantined civilians, including passengers from a recently-docked cruise ship exposed to the virus who will be quarantined on military bases in California, Georgia and Texas.
The U.S. military is also investing resources in developing measures to combat the virus, including a vaccine, medical countermeasures and additional testing tools that can be deployed on ships or remote locations. In addition, the administration is considering using special authorities through the Defense Production Act to ramp up domestic manufacturing of protective masks and clothing, DoD spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman confirmed on Tuesday.
But despite all these efforts, Fauci warned lawmakers on Wednesday that the severity of the public health threat posed by coronavirus will require a far more aggressive response than U.S. officials have mustered thus far.
“Is the worst yet to come, Dr. Fauci?” Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) asked. “Yes. Yes it is,” Fauci replied.
Source: politico.com
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