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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPentagon charts its own course on COVID-19, risking Trump's ire
The Pentagon is actively planning on living with the coronavirus well into 2021, putting it at risk of angering President Trump as he expresses confidence that the disease is on the wane.
Defense officials have extended a freeze on troop movement, held ships in port and laid the framework for what the military will look like in an extended pause because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Tuesday, a leaked Pentagon memo revealed that top Defense Department (DOD) officials are planning for the possibility that the military could be dealing with the virus beyond this year.
The extended preparation cuts against White House messaging that the virus will recede in the coming months and that a vaccine could be available by the end of the year.
At the end of February, as the president claimed the coronavirus would disappear, the Pentagon had already canceled several military exercises, restricted movement overseas and ordered all ships that had visited Pacific countries to self-quarantine. In April, as Trump mused about reopening the countrys economy by Easter, Defense Secretary Mark Esper extended a militarywide travel ban to June 30.
A leaked draft DOD guidance warned of the real possibility that an effective vaccine wont be available until at least the summer of 2021.
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/499408-pentagon-charts-its-own-course-on-covid-19-risking-trumps-ire
grumpyduck
(6,199 posts)to go fuck himself.
Newest Reality
(12,712 posts)The military understands it like many of us do.
In regards to protecting the country, this is an extremely critical priority and should not be handled by a Putin shill at all.
It is not hard to see why our nation's actual security is at stake here and needs careful, precise handing for the months to come because the political rhetoric right now is empty, meaningless and mostly a fantasy. We cannot allow a fantasy to compromise our national security. That's where it gets very serious.
I am hoping the DOD will stand up and do their duty by way of the oath they have sworn. The GOP has no honor in that matter and must have crossed their fingers behind their backs when they took it from what we are seeing now.
NCDem47
(2,238 posts)Sir, we have to plan for multiple scenarios, including those where you are not the commander-in-chief.