Military & National Guard Updates

East Coast-Based Marines Will Take Operational Pause Amid Coronavirus Crisis
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/03/15/east-coast-based-marines-will-take-operational-pause-amid-coronavirus-crisis.html

Only essential Marine Corps personnel based along the East Coast will be required to report for duty on Monday, the service announced this weekend, as leaders weigh how best to stem the spread of the dangerous coronavirus while still accomplishing vital national security missions.

Marine Corps Installations East -- which includes bases and air stations in Virginia, North and South Carolinas, and Georgia -- will conduct an operational pause on Monday, officials announced in a Sunday news release. Only essential personnel should report to work. ---CONTINUED---

Defense Secretary Esper Details Ways U.S. Military Ready To Intervene In Coronavirus Crisis
https://www.dailywire.com/news/defense-secretary-esper-details-ways-u-s-military-ready-to-intervene-in-coronavirus-crisis

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told Fox News on Tuesday night that the U.S. military was ready to jump in and help manage the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. if the situation continues to deteriorate.

Esper made the remarks during “Special Report” with Fox News anchor Bret Baier as confirmed cases in the U.S. soared past 6,000 cases and 100 deaths. ---CONTINUED---

'People coughing all over each other': US Navy sailors are reportedly being packed into close quarters aboard ships, despite coronavirus worries
https://www.yahoo.com/news/people-coughing-over-other-us-140545606.html

U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Bill Dodge

--The US Navy's response to preventing the coronavirus pandemic has been scrutinized following a presumptive positive case aboard a ship.

--Military leaders ordered around 80 crew members into a tight room for a roughly 30-minute meeting, according to a ProPublica report.

--In another case, almost 600 sailors were loaded into a packed barge as they took a promotion exam, one sailor attached to the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier told The San Diego Union-Tribune. ---CONTINUED---

U.S. Naval Academy closes campus to public starting Tuesday as coronavirus precaution
https://www.capitalgazette.com/news/ac-cn-naval-academy-closing-20200316-hvlr4qnxe5cq3msiyjadxohn2e-story.html



The U.S. Naval Academy will be closing to the general public starting 5 p.m. Tuesday in response to the growing spread of the coronavirus.

Officials said no cases of COVID-19, caused by the coronavirus, have been reported at the academy. The decision is precautionary, officials said in a press release.

Not everyone will be barred from academy grounds. Authorized visitors include USNA residents; faculty, staff, and coaches; Department of Defense-issued Common Access Card (CAC) ID card holders; dependent/retiree ID card holders; Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) cardholders; or anyone conducting official business. ---CONTINUED---

I https://www.fox5ny.com/news/california-preparing-for-worst-case-scenarios-martial-law-a-possibility

don't know if this goes here or not so here goes....

Dave58 wrote:I https://www.fox5ny.com/news/california-preparing-for-worst-case-scenarios-martial-law-a-possibility

don't know if this goes here or not so here goes....

You beat me to it. I was just coming here to post that same exact story. (So I guess it's in a good location)

I strongly encourage everyone to read that. It might give some advance warning what is coming....

Coronavirus cases among US troops double in one day; ...
https://www.stripes.com/news/us/coronavirus-cases-among-us-troops-double-in-one-day-pentagon-prepares-hospital-ships-for-response-1.622737

WASHINGTON — Thirty-six American service members worldwide had tested positive for the coronavirus as of Tuesday, a Pentagon spokesman said, confirming that the cases among troops had doubled in just one day.

In total, 59 members of the Defense Department community had confirmed cases of the fast-spreading coronavirus, formally known as COVID-19, said Army Lt. Col. Chris Mitchell, a Pentagon spokesman. Eight DOD civilians, 12 military dependents, three defense contractors and the 36 service members have the virus, he said, noting the numbers were current as of early Tuesday.

The Pentagon did not provide the locations of the cases or the service branches of the infected individuals. ---CONTINUED---

The coronavirus is starting to spread on a US Navy warship, and the flattop's crew is scrambling to stop it
https://www.businessinsider.com/second-sailor-aboard-amphibious-assault-ship-has-coronavirus-2020-3?op=1

The coronavirus is starting to spread aboard the flattop amphibious assault ship USS Boxer.

The Navy revealed Wednesday that a second sailor assigned to the warship has tested positive for the virus. Both of the infected sailors are currently in isolation.

"There is no indication that the Sailors were in close contact aboard the ship," the Navy said, adding that "the Sailors work in two different departments." ---CONTINUED---

US to Deploy National Guard in Three States
https://asianlite.com/health/us-to-deploy-national-guard-in-three-states/

US President Donald Trump had declared New York State, which has recorded 15,793 Covid-19 cases, a major disaster area eligible for high levels of federal help. Similar declarations for California and Washington state are in the works, he said…reports Arul Louis from New York

US President Donald Trump has called out the National Guard to help New York, California and Washington respond to the coronavirus crisis as the number of those infected rose to 33,276.

Field hospitals will also be set up in the three states to help relieve pressures on local health facilities, Trump said at his daily briefing on coronavirus response. ---CONTINUED---

3 US Navy sailors aboard Theodore Roosevelt test positive for coronavirus, defense officials say
https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-navy-sailors-theodore-roosevelt-test-positive-coronavirus

Three U.S. Navy sailors aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt in the Philippine Sea have tested positive for COVID-19, marking the first time the virus has spread to a U.S. warship at sea, four U.S. defense officials tell Fox News.

The new positive cases had not been reported previously.

The three sailors were medevaced, or transported by helicopter, to a Defense Department hospital in the Pacific. ---CONTINUED---

Coronavirus response: National Guard delivering supplies to hospitals, tents to Massachusetts jails
https://www.masslive.com/coronavirus/2020/03/coronavirus-response-national-guard-delivering-supplies-to-hospitals-tents-to-massachusetts-jails.html

The Massachusetts National Guard’s first few missions in helping the state ward off the novel coronavirus involve delivering supplies to hospitals and setting up screening tents at correctional facilities, an official said.

The guard members’ first missions are logistical, said Don Veitch, spokesman for the Massachusetts National Guard. ---CONTINUED---

Army command in Europe imposes coronavirus curfew, tightens travel restrictions
https://www.stripes.com/news/army-command-in-europe-imposes-coronavirus-curfew-tightens-travel-restrictions-1.623517

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — One of the largest U.S. Army commands in Europe has placed thousands of soldiers, family members, civilians and contractors within its area of responsibility under a 10 p.m.-to-5 a.m. curfew in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

The curfew, believed to be the first imposed on defense personnel and their families in Europe because of the pandemic, was included in a general order signed Monday by Maj. Gen. Christopher O. Mohan, commander of the Kaiserslautern-based 21st Theater Sustainment Command. ---CONTINUED---

How COVID-19 Will Impact the Defense Industry
https://thediplomat.com/2020/03/how-covid-19-will-impact-the-defense-industry/

Defense companies are among the many industries that must brace for a coronavirus shock.

The world underestimated COVID-19, the disease caused by a novel strain of coronavirus that emerged in late 2019, in terms of both its propensity to spread and cause harm and its ability to bring businesses and whole economies to a halt. Many countries are in the midst of executing either mitigation or all-out suppression strategies that are taking a toll on both populace and industry.

The whiplash has been beneficial to some industries, such as retail FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) and medical commerce, mainly because of unanticipated demand growth due to panic buying, while for some other sectors, such as hospitality and civil aviation, the pandemic has resulted in a grave downturn. It’s very important to note that while for some types of businesses the effect of the pandemic will be very pronounced in the short term, for others the effects may take more time to manifest. The latter is especially true for industries that are exposed to a large number of externalities – political, economic, and social. The defense industry falls into this category. ---CONTINUED----

A US aircraft carrier could be stuck in port for almost a month for coronavirus testing, but the Navy is trying to cut that time down
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/a-us-aircraft-carrier-could-be-stuck-in-port-for-almost-a-month-for-coronavirus-testing-but-the-navy-is-trying-to-cut-that-time-down/ar-BB11OezS?li=BBnbcA1&ocid=iehp

A coronavirus outbreak aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt has the Navy scrambling to test the entire crew. At the current testing pace, it could be stuck in port for almost a month, but the Navy is trying to cut that time down. ---CONTINUED---

CORONAVIRUS NEWS: Pentagon Takes Steps to Aid Industrial Base During COVID-19 Crisis
https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2020/3/23/pentagon-takes-steps-to-aid-industrial-base-during-covid-19-crisis

The Defense Department has taken several actions in recent days to mitigate the impact of the global coronavirus pandemic on the defense industrial base, and more could be on the way soon.

Industry trade groups such as the National Defense Industrial Association have asked the Pentagon and Congress to protect contractors, including small businesses, whose operations are affected by the spread of COVID-19 and government efforts to combat the disease. ---CONTINUED---

Trump calls up reserves for coronavirus 'battle'
https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/trump-calls-up-reserves-to-battle-coronavirus

Ready Reserve members called for up to 2 years to combat coronavirus

President Trump signed an order Friday returning some members of the armed forces reserve to active duty in order to help deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

The order authorizes the secretaries of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Homeland Security to recall as many as 1 million members of the Ready Reserve to active duty for up to two years. ---CONTINUED---

Philippines cancels annual joint military exercise with U.S. due to COVID-19 threat
http://www.china.org.cn/world/Off_the_Wire/2020-03/27/content_75867650.htm

MANILA, March 27 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines has canceled its biggest annual joint military exercise dubbed as "Balikatan" with the United States this year due to the threat posed by COVID-19, a high-ranking Philippine military official said on Friday.

Rear Admiral Adelius Bordado, the co-exercise director of Balikatan 2020, said that Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff General Felimon Santos has recommended the cancellation of Balikatan exercise 2020 scheduled for May 4-15 in the Philippines. ---CONTINUED---

60 day freeze on US troop movement
https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/watch/60-day-freeze-on-us-troop-movement/vi-BB11MwdQ

Lt. Colonel Dakota Wood joins Trace Gallagher to discuss how the military is dealing with COVID-19 ---VIDEO at LINK---

The Pentagon will classify ‘some information’ about the coronavirus in the US Army
https://bulgarianmilitary.com/2020/03/27/the-pentagon-will-classify-some-information-about-the-coronavirus-in-the-us-army/?fbclid=IwAR3aNmlLn6KUIMpq4bJ10sJl2nHJYWar7Q3oRbBnj3DF7CMAmlL0LeftjF4

WASHINGTON, (BM) – The US military leadership decided that from now on the Pentagon will stop providing some more detailed data on the distribution of a new type of coronavirus (Covid-19) in the US army, fearing that this information could be used by “intruders”, learned BulgarianMilitary.com according US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper statement. ---CONTINUED---

Trump allowed mobilization of the military reserve force because of COVID-19
https://bulgarianmilitary.com/2020/03/28/trump-allowed-mobilization-of-the-military-reserve-force-because-of-covid-19/?fbclid=IwAR343FSfPVJ0DjsjwbDoPyeaRbNNZgaDz9GgWNDGRPHhsiJVJ892pKWW2nI

WASHINGTON, (BM) – The US President Donald Trump signed a decree on the mobilization of military reservists and coast guard reservists amid the spread of coronavirus, follows from a document distributed by the White House on Friday, learned BulgarianMilitary.com. ---CONTINUED---

Trump set to activate up to 1 million of the military’s ready reserve to battle coronavirus
https://www.salon.com/2020/03/28/trump-set-to-activate-up-to-1-million-of-the-militarys-ready-reserve-to-battle-coronavirus_partner/

President Donald Trump announced Friday he will activate the military's ready reserve components to help in the country's response to the fast-spreading coronavirus pandemic, potentially recalling tens of thousands of separated servicemembers to active-duty.

"This will allow us to mobilize medical disaster emergency response personnel to help wage our battle against the virus," Trump said in a Friday evening press conference. "We have a lot of people, retirees, great military people, they're coming back in." ---CONTINUED---

DOD Mounts Multifaceted Response to COVID-19 Pandemic
https://www.defense.gov/Explore/News/Article/Article/2132534/dod-mounts-multifaceted-response-to-covid-19-pandemic/

The Defense Department is rapidly ramping up its efforts to fight COVID-19 and assist federal, state and local governments in their efforts.

Some of DOD's activities include: ---CONTINUED---

Pandemics and the U.S. Military: Lessons from 1918
https://warontherocks.com/2020/04/pandemics-and-the-u-s-military-lessons-from-1918/

“We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset — our Sailors.”
– Capt. Brett Crozier, USS Theodore Roosevelt, March 30, 2020

The novel coronavirus will hit the U.S. military and its allies hard, as already there have been outbreaks at the Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island and on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. How hard will depend on a number of variables — some having to do with the virus itself (how and to what extent it mutates, whether it comes back in subsequent waves, etc.) and others having to do with what measures militaries take to protect themselves. But it would be foolhardy to underestimate the damage COVID-19 could do.

Fortunately, we have a historical example that could offer some clues on how the virus might affect the military, the kinds of policies that might exacerbate or mitigate the pandemic’s impact, and the policy choices that at some point today’s military leaders may face. I am speaking, of course, of the 1918 influenza epidemic ... ---CONTINUED---

Corona cases on virus-hit US aircraft carrier spike to nearly 600
https://www.neweurope.eu/article/corona-cases-on-virus-hit-us-aircraft-carrier-spike-to-nearly-600/

The United States Navy revealed Sunday that 585 sailors aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt have tested positive for coronavirus.

The Navy said that it has evacuated more than 90% of the roughly 4,800 crew ashore in Guam, where the carrier is in port. The evacuated sailors are put in isolation for 14 days in local hotels and other available facilities. ---CONTINUED---

I saw on the news that the U.S. has depleted 7 years worth of its arsenal over the proxy war we are fighting in Ukraine.

How are we going to give more of our arsenal to Taiwan to help them defend their country. Heck, are we going to have enough arsenal to defend our own country if we have to engage Russia, North Korea or China.

I found this on the net about our arsenal and other countries too:

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-04-14/russia-ukraine-war-u-s-is-running-out-of-weapons-aiding-kyiv

rick1 wrote:I saw on the news that the U.S. has depleted 7 years worth of its arsenal over the proxy war we are fighting in Ukraine.

How are we going to give more of our arsenal to Taiwan to help them defend their country. Heck, are we going to have enough arsenal to defend our own country if we have to engage Russia, North Korea or China.

I found this on the net about our arsenal and other countries too:

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-04-14/russia-ukraine-war-u-s-is-running-out-of-weapons-aiding-kyiv

I don't think we are supposed to win......