Pentagon struggles to stay ahead of virus as infections rise
Posted by freedomforall 4 years ago to Government
"The USS Theodore Roosevelt, a 5,000-person aircraft carrier meant to be patrolling the Pacific and South China Sea, is instead sitting dockside in Guam indefinitely as the number of infected sailors rises daily. Infections started cropping up after an early March port call in Vietnam, which Pentagon leaders say had about 16 known virus cases at the time.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper says he's leaving key decisions about how to address the outbreak to local commanders. But as infections mount and more warriors are sidelined, Pentagon leaders will face difficult questions about how to stay fully ready to confront rivals from North Korea to Iran and how to signal unflagging resolve to such adversaries.
"The military is torn between its need to maintain operations, which cannot be done with 'social distancing,' and the need to restrict interactions to inhibit infections," said Mark Cancian, a military analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington who's a retired Marine Corps colonel. "It has still not figured out how to strike that balance.""
Defense Secretary Mark Esper says he's leaving key decisions about how to address the outbreak to local commanders. But as infections mount and more warriors are sidelined, Pentagon leaders will face difficult questions about how to stay fully ready to confront rivals from North Korea to Iran and how to signal unflagging resolve to such adversaries.
"The military is torn between its need to maintain operations, which cannot be done with 'social distancing,' and the need to restrict interactions to inhibit infections," said Mark Cancian, a military analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington who's a retired Marine Corps colonel. "It has still not figured out how to strike that balance.""
