WASHINGTON -- Protecting the Defense Department's people, maintaining military readiness and supporting the whole-of-government interagency response are DOD's top three priorities amid the coronavirus pandemic, Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper said.
Esper, joined by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Army Gen. Mark A. Milley and Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman Ramón ''CZ'' Colón-López, conducted a virtual town hall meeting yesterday to answer questions about DOD's coronavirus response.
''I've made protecting our people our top priority,'' Esper said, referring to service members, DOD's civilian employees and contractors, and their families.
Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper; Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Ramón “CZ” Colón-López hold a virtual global town hall meeting to answer questions from defense department employees and family members about COVID-19, from the Pentagon, March 24, 2020.
Meanwhile, the secretary said, maintaining mission readiness is important so DOD can be ready to fight and win if called upon to do so.
DOD is ''all in'' on supporting the interagency effort to protect the American people, Esper said, noting that the department has deployed thousands of National Guardsmen in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and four territories.
The Army is deploying field hospitals to major U.S. cities, and the Navy has deployed the hospital ship USNS Mercy to Los Angeles, the secretary said, adding that the hospital ship USNS Comfort soon will deploy to New York City.
World-class researchers at Fort Detrick, Maryland, and other locations are working with researchers elsewhere to come up with vaccines, Esper said, while other DOD efforts include opening up strategic stockpiles of masks, ventilators and other equipment to help the American people.
Testing kits and personal protective equipment are available for DOD medical workers, he said, but he acknowledged that there will be shortages, just as in the civilian sector until the private sector can ramp up production.
Esper said the department is in close coordination with allies and partners and has even reached out to Iran to offer assistance in battling COVID-19.
The secretary also stressed preventive measures people should be taking to slow the spread of the virus, such as social distancing, wiping down surfaces that are touched and hand washing. The best and most trusted guidance can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, which is updated regularly, he added.
''This is not the first challenge the United States has ever faced,'' Milley said. ''This is not the first war we've ever been in.'' As they deal with the invisible coronavirus enemy, military leaders at all levels are expected to follow DOD guidance and to look after their soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, he added.
Combatant commanders and leaders at bases and installations have been delegated with a decision-making authority on matters such as determining when service members and their families can move to new duty assignments, the chairman said.
''We will get through this through solid leadership, caring for our troops and keeping focus on the mission,'' Milley said.
Colón-López said the mission is clearly understood and that it’s ''a no-fail mission.'' The U.S. military will be flexible and adaptable to deal with this challenge, he said.
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