Friday, July 31, 2020

Army Command Prepares for Hurricane Season in Age of COVID-19

July 31, 2020 | BY Army Capt. Matthew Cline

Beginning in March, the Army Reserve's 377th Theater Sustainment Command oversaw a nationwide logistics response effort out of its home station in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, that supported thousands of service members in the fight against COVID-19. The scale of the mission was unprecedented, and required multitiered planning, equipment projection and coordination to achieve. As the response concluded, the command was tasked with a new and far more challenging assignment: preparing for this year's hurricane season in the age of COVID-19.

A soldier points to Texas on a wall-mounted map as another soldier looks on. Both are wearing face masks..

"Not only do we have to respond to a hurricane, we have to do it in a COVID environment, which is more resource- and planning-intensive on all levels to respond to," said Army Maj. David Finn, a plans officer at the command. "We've been planning this for almost two months now in preparation for it and trying to forecast the sustainment requirements to respond to a disaster event."

The command is in uncharted territory, bridging the gap between its traditional role in support of the Army Reserve Command and its newfound role as the lead logistics supplier for U.S. Army North, which supervises homeland defense and defense support to civil authorities missions throughout North America.

We have more people now than ever before. In previous seasons, we had a far more limited staff, but now we have almost the whole [team] mobilized for the hurricanes because of the complexity of responding during COVID-19.''
Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Dorian Bozza

Hurricane season traditionally poses a logistics challenge to any supporting agency. The unpredictable path and varying severity of storms make long-term projections for placement of responding assets difficult. Despite this, the plans team has conducted coordination across the country to ensure essential capabilities such as water purification, transportation and medical support are able to respond as quickly as possible to the point of impact.

The partnership with Army North has been an invaluable learning process for Finn and his fellow soldiers, who speak highly of the knowledge and experience the Army North team brought to the fight.

"Working with Army North has been a new experience for me, and it's been a learning experience from the start," he said. "It helps me understand our larger responsibility to national defense and disaster support requirements."

Despite the increased coordination, operating in a COVID-19 environment has caused some limitations to the command's ability to prepare for hurricanes, as opposed to previous years. The annual Hurricane Certification Exercise, a mock scenario-based response staged in areas that are historically vulnerable to hurricanes, was cancelled this year over concerns that personnel could be exposed to COVID-19.

"Hurricane Maria completely overwhelmed Puerto Rico in 2017, so we staged the exercise there last year so we could learn from our shortcomings in the response and address those issues there," said Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Dorian Bozza, the senior maintenance technician at the 377th Theater Sustainment Command. "Unfortunately because of COVID, there is no certification exercise this year, but we are still planning and coordinating with Army North to continue to monitor the weather and respond."

A seated soldier points out a detail on a computer monitor as another soldier standing next to him looks at the monitor. Both are wearing face masks.

This coordination involves sending a command liaison officer to any state that is facing a potential hurricane landfall. The officer then integrates into the logistics planning process to coordinate with the state and federal agencies to ensure any personnel or equipment requirements are met prior to landfall.

COVID-19 has offered up one benefit to the command, however.

"We have more people now than ever before," Bozza said. "In previous seasons, we had a far more limited staff, but now we have almost the whole [team] mobilized for the hurricanes because of the complexity of responding during COVID-19."

After the loss of the full-scale certification exercise, the command held an extensive rehearsal of concept drill July 9 to demonstrate its capability to respond to Army North at its headquarters at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. The ROC drill covered a series of potential hurricane landfall scenarios and involved contingency planning for the entire continental United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

"There's been a lot of preparation time and a lot of rehearsals where we actually practice how we would respond," said Army Col. Reggie Richardson, 377th Theater Sustainment Command deputy chief of staff for operations. "The ROC drill is a way for all teams involved to be mindful of the intent behind the mission and understand what their counterparts are doing during the mission."

With six Atlantic storms already named by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the projected busy hurricane season has already gotten off to a quick start. The command has nearly doubled its normal staff in preparation for the season, in tandem with a similar increase in staff at the 4th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), the subordinate unit assisting the 377th Theater Sustainment Command in its hurricane response mission.

With increased support and the lessons learned from previous hurricane seasons and the COVID-19 response, Richardson expressed nothing but confidence in the command's ability to respond to the hurricanes both effectively and safely.

"We're transitioning to the speed required and dealing with organizations we have not dealt with before," he said. "New people, new teams, new structures and new organizations…but the positive thing is, it's all coming together."

(Army Capt. Matthew Cline is assigned to the 377th Theater Sustainment Command.)

Thursday, July 30, 2020

DOD Medical Officials Outline COVID-19 Testing Approach

July 30, 2020 | BY C. Todd Lopez , DOD News

Though the rate of confirmed positive COVID-19 tests among those in uniform is lower than that of the nation's civilian population, the most junior service members have a slightly higher rate than that of their civilian counterparts, the medical advisor to the Defense Department's coronavirus task force said.

"From a data standpoint, after adjusting for the age of our force, the confirmed case rate in our active duty service members remain slightly lower than the U.S. average in all age groups except those aged 18 to 24 years old," Air Force Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Paul Friedrichs, who also serves as the Joint Staff surgeon, said at a Pentagon news conference today.

A man in military uniform sits at a table behind a microphone.

Department leaders, Friedrichs said, believe the slightly higher rate among the youngest service members is due in large part to more testing done within the military — for example, the services test service members at the entry to basic training and at the end of basic training.

"We think that this is a reflection of our commitment to the [Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper's] first priority of reducing risk to the force and protecting them as they go through performing their duties to protect and defend our nation," Friedrichs said.

Air Force Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Lee E. Payne, assistant director for combat support at the Defense Health Agency and the DOD lead for COVID-19 testing, said the department has increased the amount of COVID-19 testing it does fivefold over the past three months.

A man in military uniform sits at a table behind a microphone.  Behind him is a sign that reads “The Pentagon - Washington.”

"To date, we've conducted over 540,000 tests since January," Payne said. "And DOD testing capacity has expanded greatly since March." Now, he said, the department has 125 labs certified to test for COVID-19 — up from 15. That greatly expanded testing capacity can do more than 200,000 tests per week if needed, he added. However, the department instead works to meet a goal it set for itself in May to conduct 56,000 tests a week, Payne said.

"Thanks to the tireless work of thousands in the Military Health System, we have met that goal, administering nearly 60,000 tests per week over the last several weeks," he added.

Payne said the active duty positive rate is holding at about 5.3% over the last several weeks. That, he said, is lower than in the civilian population.

A medical professional swabs the nostril of a service member.
Gloved hands handle medical specimens.

While increased testing and technology efforts such as the "Negative Pressure CONEX" for transporting infected patients on military aircraft while at the same time keeping the crew safe are all important parts of the department's response to COVID-19, and individual efforts are just as important, Friedrichs said.

"The foundation of our response has been and remains both the individual and the collective commitment to those basic public health measures that we've talked about over and over again — things like social distancing, washing hands, [and] wearing a mask," he said. "While not necessarily high-tech, they are incredibly effective, and we're grateful for the support from everyone who's embraced those in order to reduce the risk to the force into the mission."

China, Russia Nearing Status as U.S. Nuclear Peers, Stratcom Commander Says

July 30, 2020 | BY David Vergun , DOD News

For the first time, the United States will face two peer competitors with nuclear capabilities — China and Russia — by the end of this decade, the commander of U.S. Strategic Command said.

Speaking today at the Nuclear Deterrence Forum sponsored by the Air Force Association’s Mitchell Institute, Navy Adm. Charles A. Richard discussed the rapid modernization and readiness improvements by Russia and China in both their strategic and conventional military capabilities — and the challenges those improvements pose for the United States.

A submarine floats on the ocean’s surface.
A jet is refueled in midair.

"China is on a trajectory to be a strategic peer to us by the end of the decade. So for the first time ever, the U.S. is going to face two peer-capable nuclear competitors," Richard said, adding that Russia is the other peer. "We have never faced that situation before."

China is in the process of completely building out its own nuclear triad, with the strategic bomber being the last part to be put into place, he said. The other two legs of the triad — intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarines — are already operational.

A missile replica stands against a blue sky.

In addition, the admiral said, China is expanding all of its other capabilities, including new command and control systems and new warning systems, as well as conventional readiness and modernization improvements.

In its rapid expansion of across-the-board military capabilities, Richard said, China always goes faster than the United States.

He noted that in 2013, the Chinese didn’t have a coast guard. Today, he said, it has 255 cutters, adding that the coast guard is a perfect instrument to use below the threshold of armed conflict.

Likewise, Richard said, Russia has been modernizing everything over the last 15 years, and that process is about 70% complete. That includes command and control, warning systems, doctrine, as well as improved readiness and competence in conducting exercises, he said.

"The United States and the Department of Defense have not had to consider the full implications of competition through possible crisis and possible armed conflict with a nuclear-capable peer adversary in close to 30 years," he said. "The implications are profound."

A missile flies through the night.

The department has good leadership and a good strategy for addressing the situation, in the National Defense Strategy, Richard said. The NDS states that, in conflict, all domains — sea, air, land, space and cyber — will be challenged, he said, adding that it warns that strategic deterrence, which has always been foundational to the rest of the defense strategy, "will be tested in ways that haven't been tested before."

The admiral said that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Stratcom "did not miss a beat."

"We remained fully mission-capable throughout," he said.

BAMC Nurses: 'It's Us Against COVID'

July 30, 2020 | BY Elaine Sanchez

With the recent surge in COVID-19, the beds are quickly filling in the intensive care units at Brooke Army Medical Center, a sprawling military hospital and Level I Trauma Center in the heart of San Antonio.

Many patients are on ventilators or hooked to a myriad of tubes and wires to a heart-lung bypass machine as they battle a virus that has so far claimed more than 145,000 lives in the U.S. alone. In the trenches beside them are the frontline health care workers – technicians, nurses, physicians – who can also be the last line of defense for the most critically ill patients.

A medical volunteer wearing personal protective equipment reviews a checklist with a soldier.

''Dealing with the virus on and off duty, the [personal protective equipment], the long shifts … to be honest, it takes a toll on the staff,'' said Army Lt. Col. Trisha Bielski, chief of critical care nursing services. ''I couldn't be prouder of my team and the job they've done in incredibly challenging circumstances.''

Bielski oversees hundreds of critical care nurses working in BAMC's four dedicated COVID ICUs. Currently, her attention is focused on 3S, an inpatient ward that’s been transformed from a cardiac unit to a COVID-dedicated ICU reserved for some of the city's most critically ill patients. Her nurses are tending to several patients on ventilators along with six patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, a heart-lung bypass treatment for patients unresponsive to a ventilator or less invasive measures.

Over the past few weeks, BAMC has taken on additional civilian trauma patients and doubled its ECMO capacity to treat more of the most critically ill COVID-19 patients to help ease the burden on other hospitals, Bielski explained. While BAMC primarily cares for military beneficiaries, as part of its Level I trauma center mission, a special secretarial designee status enables the hospital to accept civilian ECMO patients and trauma patients in coordination with the city.

A Unit Transformed

In recent months, COVID-19 and the expanded ECMO mission have transformed 3S from a bustling inpatient ward into an equipment-laden area devoid of the chatter of family and friends. The nurses' colorful scrubs are now concealed by gowns, their faces obscured by masks and face shields. Technicians stand by patient doors with a clipboard, meticulously ticking off boxes on a checklist, ensuring everyone who enters or exits a room is properly donning and doffing their PPE. With safety on the line, mistakes aren’t an option when it comes to PPE.

A medical professional wearing protective gear opens a hospital room door with patient notes on the door.

''We continually train our staff on PPE wear and stress the importance of all safety measures,'' Bielski noted. ''It takes time, but it’s effective and, I hope, reassuring for our staff who are understandably nervous about contracting the virus.''

While beneficial to the health care system, the trauma and ECMO mission expansions have generated a need for additional nurses and technicians to increase BAMC's bed capacity. In some cases, Bielski is able to borrow nursing support from the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research Burn Center, which is housed in BAMC, or from outpatient clinics and other wards. However, manpower is a limited pool, particularly as deployments, humanitarian missions and community-based support requirements draw military personnel away from BAMC, which has many personnel deployed overseas and stateside.

My team has been living and breathing this every day for months. I'm so proud of what they do on a daily basis. They are truly making a difference in supporting our community.''
Army Lt. Col. Trisha Bielski, chief of critical care nursing services

''We've been very stretched,'' Bielski said. ''We are constantly assessing our staffing models to ensure we can manage our patient census while ensuring the safest care.''

It's often an adjustment for nurses shifting from clinics to an ICU, especially one like 3S that requires such a high level of patient care.

''One of the biggest challenges is working with staff I have never before worked with,'' said Army Capt. Amanda Crow, ICU clinical staff nurse and charge nurse. ''Despite this challenge, I have been continually impressed by the professionalism and hard work of the providers and nurses I have just met. Everyone has been very supportive and helpful to one another during this trying time.''

Taking Down Barriers

Communication is key, particularly when donning PPE for hours at a time.

''It's draining to wear PPE over a 12-hour shift, but more importantly, it creates challenges in communication, whether to your peers or with our patients,'' said Army Sgt. 1st Class Jeremiah Canter, critical care nursing services noncommissioned officer in charge.

Brooke Army Medical Center nurses conduct a shift change briefing in a COVID-19 intensive care unit July 17.

Face masks create a barrier of sorts between staff and patient, an unfortunate hindrance to communication in an environment where human contact is already severely limited. Aside from the staff, a BAMC-supplied tablet is often a patient's only link to loved ones and the outside world.

''It's heartbreaking that our patients who are so critically ill can't have the comfort of their family members at the bedside at this time,'' Bielski said.

The nurses do their best to fill the void with technology, an avenue that has proven vital for patient communication and morale. Crow recalled caring for an elderly patient battling COVID-19 along with other conditions. With all medical interventions exhausted, the family made the difficult decision to move toward end-of-life care. Crow quickly coordinated a group video chat with the patient's spouse, children and grandchildren prior to withdrawal of care.

I feel as a critical care section, we are the COVID response team. It's us against COVID, and we have too much at stake to lose.''
Army Sgt. 1st Class Jeremiah Canter, critical care nursing services noncommissioned officer in charge

''The family was able to talk to their loved one, see her face, pray for her, sing to her and let her know how much she meant to them,'' Crow recalled. ''It was a very moving experience, and I am grateful I was able to facilitate it.

''I would like to think that having that time with family brought her comfort in her final hours and gave her family closure,'' she added.

The staff strives to create these personal connections on a daily basis, Canter noted.

''We do the best we can to make them comfortable,'' Canter continued. ''We talk to them when we are bedside and try to arrange virtual chats. It really lightens their spirits at a tough time. Even when they aren't able to speak, you can see their faces light up.''

Moments of Comfort

For the ICU staff, these video chats spur thoughts of their own families throughout the day. At the end of a long shift, Canter is grateful to head home to his three children visiting for the summer from Georgia. He's meticulous about changing out of his uniform in his garage before entering the house. Even as he fights exhaustion, Canter takes time to play cards or board games with his kids before he heads to bed.

''We talk about my job,'' he said. ''They know what I do, and they aren't scared about it. They know it's a possibility I could get it and people die from it, but I tell them not to be scared. Just respect it and do the right thing, and you’ll be OK.''

Crow's family lives in Pittsburgh, but frequent video chats bring her comfort in the evenings.

''As with most families of health care providers during this time, my family does worry,'' she said. ''Several of my immediate family members are nurses, so we are able to allay each other's fears knowing that we take any and all necessary precautions in both our personal and professional lives.''

A nurse enters a patient room in a COVID-19 intensive care unit.

Even as she juggles staffing and critical care duties, Bielski knows she's asking a lot from her staff and often worries that she's not thanking her team enough.

''My team has been living and breathing this every day for months,'' she said. ''I'm so proud of what they do on a daily basis. They are truly making a difference in supporting our community.''

For Crow, this is exactly what she signed up for. She was inspired to become a nurse after seeing how nurses supported her father, who was ill, and her family when growing up. After joining the Army, she became even more determined to become a nurse after her older brother was injured in an IED blast while deployed and spent months recovering from a traumatic brain injury at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. 

''I was inspired by the care he received and wanted to pay it forward to other families,'' she said.

COVID-19 or not, Crow never looked back on her decision to become a nurse.

''This is a strenuous time to be working in healthcare, and we are all facing unprecedented challenges,'' she said. ''That being said, I am grateful to be supporting my community during these trying times. I take pride in knowing that I am taking care of members in my local community, and I hope that my efforts can make a positive impact in the care of others.''

''I feel as a critical care section, we are the COVID response team,'' Canter added. ''It's us against COVID, and we have too much at stake to lose.''

(Elaine Sanchez is assigned to the Brooke Army Medical Center.)

Washington State's Military Department Responds to COVID-19 Pandemic

July 30, 2020 | BY Sara Morris; Joseph Siemandel and Air Force Lt.Col Alyson Teeter

Employees of the Washington Military Department have been at the center of the COVID-19 response since the beginning, helping the state's health department with pandemic planning before the pandemic was even on the national radar and helping with logistics, operations and planning support as the response became critical.

Soldiers and airmen of the Washington National Guard have helped at testing sites, in food banks and, more recently, in a call center where they help track where the virus spreads.

An airman assists a patient with a COVID-19 test.

The state Emergency Operations Center was partially activated Jan. 22. It included officials from the state's health department and external affairs. Two days later, the center was fully activated with the health department's incident management team working out of the SEOC. Personnel were split between Health’s lab at Shoreline, its headquarters in Tumwater and the SEOC on Camp Murray. By mid-March, officials from the  Department of Health, Washington Emergency Management Division and the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services developed a unified command structure.

For a few days at the end of February and beginning of March, teams from Health, Emergency Management and other state agencies came together to craft and strategize for some of the nonpharmaceutical interventions that would help guide the state in the months to come.

"Its purpose is to help public health officials, emergency management and partners choose which mitigation strategies to implement to limit and prevent the spread of novel respiratory diseases of concern," Chris Utzinger, EOC response section manager, said Feb. 28.

The marathon sessions started with the obvious advice: encouraging state residents to increase their hand washing and use of alcohol-based sanitizer, frequently clean and disinfect surfaces, and show proper cough and hygiene etiquette. Then, the nonpharmaceutical interventions started mentioning things that would become commonplace months later: social distancing, isolating sick people, cancelling public and large private gatherings, and ordering the closure of schools, child care facilities, workplaces and public buildings.

By the second week of March, restaurant doors were closed, schools were shut down and people were told to stay home unless they were going out for an "essential" service, such as shopping for groceries. Employees at the Washington Military Department were given unprecedented access to teleworking and told to stay home if they could.

"While this emergency can be unnerving, more than anything, I ask you to stay calm," the state's adjutant general, Army Maj. Gen. Bret D. Daugherty, wrote in an email March 19. "Together, we're going to get through this. I can assure you of that. Combining our state and federal forces, we have a talented team working day and night to help address this situation, and I’m confident we’re making a difference. Let’s continue to lead by example and take the steps necessary to slow the spread."

Vice President Visit

On March 5, before widespread shutdowns hit the state, Vice President Mike Pence visited Camp Murray, bringing many top federal officials with him. At the time, Washington state had been the hardest-hit state, with at least 70 confirmed infections and 11 dead.

Pence started with a tour of the state Emergency Operations Center, where he "bumped elbows" with line staff that filled the room.

"As the state of Washington, and the Seattle area in particular, deals with the coronavirus, we're going to continue to make sure that you have the full support of every agency in the federal government," Pence said. "We know you’re the front line."

Joining him were 10 of the 11 congressional officials representing Washington state, as well as Gov. Jay R. Islee, together in the EOC for the first time in recent memory.

Dual-Status Command

Army Brig. Gen. Bryan Grenon, Task Force Steelhead commander and Seattle Police Department captain, started off the COVID-19 response as the dual-status commander in Seattle. To assist the response, the Federal Emergency Management Agency deployed an Army field hospital to the CenturyLink Event Center, and Grenon was the conduit among the responding agencies, U.S Northern Command, Title 10 and Title 32 soldiers, and federal and state emergency response agencies and leaders.

Grenon said his civilian career positively affected his time as the DSC.

"I think that this is something that Northcom didn't anticipate, because of my role as a [police] captain, I had very strong relationships not only with these police departments, but with the city government and also the Seattle Fire Department."

Grenon's experience as the DSC was short, but it provided the opportunity to learn how to better engage and communicate when interacting with so many different agencies through the pandemic response, he said.

The Guard is Called to Support

As the economy suffered and unemployment skyrocketed, food banks across the state were slammed with requests. At the same time that demand climbed, volunteers who were relied upon to operate local food banks were forced to stay home, many of whom fall in the at-risk categories for COVID-19.

"The Washington National Guard will provide important help to our communities to ensure our critical food banks remain stocked and operational," Inslee said in a tweet. "They're filling an important need, and I ask that you welcome them in your communities as they process, package and distribute meals."

This is something our state has never done before — but it's something we can take lessons out of in case we have an earthquake or other disaster. We had some folks at the state talking to each other who had never talked to each other before.''
Taylor Hennessee, Washington Emergency Management Division

Airmen and soldiers from the 194th Wing and 81st Brigade Combat Team jumped at the chance to help their neighbors in Chelan, Franklin, King, Pierce and Walla Walla counties right away.

"These guardsmen will provide critical support to our food banks and pantries that are low on staff and need help getting food to some of our most vulnerable citizens," Daugherty said. "By looking out for our neighbors and following proper health safety guidelines, we will get through this together."

Washington National Guardsmen pack boxes of food for distribution.

As the need grew, so did the requests for guard support at food banks across the state. By the end of April, more than 700 guardsmen were supporting operations at 43 food banks and distribution centers across Washington. Food Lifeline set up a distribution center in south downtown Seattle with the support of more than 200 guardsmen helping them process, pack and distribute food and goods to more than 300 food banks across the state.

Army Sgt. Kyle Sprague, 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, volunteered for the opportunity to serve with Food Lifeline in Seattle after seeing how the "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" order was affecting the area.

"When driving through Seattle, you see a lot of boarded-up businesses," Sprague said. "That's a lot of lost wages. When I saw it, I realized that the community needs help and what better way to, to get out and help an organization like Food Lifeline."

Kate Wright, the executive director at the Edgewood food bank, said that the support was critical because many of the staff were listed as high-risk if they caught the virus.

"I am not supposed to be here," Wright said. "I could be high-risk, so having the guard here is so helpful. We are helping to feed more than 400 families a week now, almost double what we were at before the COVID-19 pandemic." As the need for COVID-19 testing across the state grew, the Washington National Guard was asked to support. Dressed in full personal protective equipment, the guardsmen worked with doctors and nurses at community-based testing sites across the state to expand testing capabilities.

"There are only so many resources here in the area so every person counts in this operation, from the medics who test, to the people who do traffic enforcement, to those in administration," said Air Force Senior Airman Ryley Glick at a Grays Harbor site. "We're lending extra hands to those who need it."

Wearing Masks is the New Norm

At the beginning of April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the use of face masks when social distancing couldn't be achieved. That led one Washington National Guard mother to recruit some help to carry out an important mission of providing masks to soldiers and airmen.

Soldiers wearing donated masks pose for a photo.

"It was something for my mom and her friends to do during this time, it is their way to support the COVID-19 response," said Army Lt. Col. Josh Daily, future operations officer with the Washington Army National Guard.

Daily's mother, Roberta Yoshimura, and her friends Ruth Dingfield and Jeanne Gallagher, dug out their sewing needles and fabric to create masks so guardsmen supporting local food banks would be protected.

"So many amazing people have selflessly provided protective masks for our soldiers and airmen," said Army Brig. Gen. Dan Dent, commanding general of the Washington Army National Guard. "It is during times like this that great people rise up to answer the call for our country."

In early April, Kathryn Salo, along with Wendy and Elizabeth Phippen, stitched together and donated hundreds of masks for guardsmen which were passed out to soldiers on Camp Murray.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Rachel Yandon, a radio frequency transmission systems apprentice working in the 225th Support Squadron's Communications Focal Point, volunteered to hand-sew 150 cloth protective masks and sent them to a hospital in Alabama.

Chaplains Provide Guidance During Tough Times

Knowing that soldiers and airmen with the Washington National Guard, like everyone else, have a wide variety of emotions during a disaster — fear, anger, stress — Army Chaplain (Col.) Don Brewer, the state chaplain for the Washington National Guard, asked all chaplains to reach out and conduct health and wellness checks during the COVID-19 response.

One of those chaplains called to action was Army Chaplain (Capt.) Denise Denniston, chaplain for the 341st Military Intelligence Battalion.

"I have been calling our soldiers," Denniston said. "My main focus is to check in on them as well as connect them directly with any resources that they may need at this time. I know Chap. Brewer's intent was to make sure all our soldiers were taken care of at this time."

The resources that Denniston often suggests are through the Joint Service Support office, which has staff members that can help guardsmen with health, finances or any mental/physical struggle. One type of resource came through the National Guard Association of Washington, which started providing guardsmen in need with $10,000 in grocery store gift cards.

"Our association is working with Joint Service Support to ensure all of our Washington guardsmen are taken care of during this time," said Bob Sweeney, executive director of the National Guard Association of Washington. "It is just part of taking care of our airmen and soldiers."

Drilling during COVID

For Washington National Guardsmen, the COVID-19 pandemic changed how they conduct their monthly inactive duty training.

While some units decided to move their drill days to another month, for the soldiers of the 56th Theater Information Operations Group, Army Col. Gerald Dezsofi and his command teams made a decision to drill from home during the first weekend of April and May.

"This was a great chance for us to not only catch up on administrative requirements, but we are also testing our soldiers to work, think, plan and act in an unfamiliar environment," Dezsofi said. "It forced them to adapt to a new environment with unexpected challenges."

Another unit that teleworked for their drill weekend was the 141st Air Refueling Wing located at Fairchild Air Force Base. In their monthly newsletter, Air Force Col. Larry Gardner described the challenges and how he wanted his leaders to overcome them.

"These challenges must be met with fundamental change on how we operate and a resolute discipline and timely led-turn to meet the next set of challenges not yet encountered," Gardner said. "We must lead with compassion and understanding; our number one priority is our airmen and their families."

Changes at the Youth Academy

As schools across the state began to close their doors, the Washington Youth Academy had a full class of cadets residing on campus.

"When we heard about the virus in January, we began reviewing our safety protocols," said Amy Steinhilber, director of the Washington Youth Academy. "By March, we began communicating regularly with the families, letting them know what we were doing to keep their kids safe."

While the Washington Youth Academy students can isolate in one secure area, the staff and external support can't. When Inslee issued his Stay Home, Stay Healthy proclamation on March 15, Steinhilber and Army Maj. Gen.Daugherty made the call to close the campus and send the cadets home.

"We gave them options," Steinhilber said. "They could come back for a future cycle or continue their studies online. We had 151 kids take part in our online campus. Within a week, IT Support contacted community partners and provided us 365 accounts and accessibility technology, like laptops, as needed so we could continue the mission to reclaim youth."

The staff believes the little time they had with the cadets made a lasting impression.

"Out of the 151 kids we started with, over 70 percent are on track to complete the cycle, with others needing a little more time to finish," Steinhilber said. "This is all new to us, but faculty and staff reacted quickly to ready the curriculum for the online collaboration with our cadets."

Plans are now underway to invite cadets unable to take full advantage of the online environment back to campus with safety in mind.

"We are enhancing protocols to social distance, limit exposure and continue to provide a safe place for our cadets to thrive," Steinhilber said.

Building Test Kits

When Inslee laid out his recovery plan for Washington, testing for COVID-19 was one of his pillars. Ensuring that test kits are readily available has been a team effort between professionals with the Department of Health, AmeriCorp and dozens of members of the Washington National Guard.

"Working with the Department of Health and AmeriCorp has been great, our guys know how important this mission is and are excited to be here," said Army Maj. Jeff Rogers, a logistician and site leader for the Washington National Guard. "This is all logistics and supply chain management, so being a logistician working this mission is right in my wheelhouse."

Washington National Guardsmen assemble COVID-19 test kits.

The AmeriCorp volunteers put together the sterile test kit components, then passed them to the guardsmen who put the instructions and sterile test kit bag into an outer biohazard bag. The assembled kits are then packaged into boxes for shipping out to the counties.

"A lot of quality control is happening to ensure that the test kits are properly created, packaged, shipped and tracked," Rogers said. "Making sure everything is sterile is critical. When new components come in for the test kits, they undergo a sterilization test to ensure the products are safe to use and will give an accurate test reading."

COVID-19 Mapping

As the state continues to work toward slowing and preventing the spread of COVID-19, members of the Washington National Guard are supporting the state's Department of Health with voluntary COVID-19 mapping.

"We are not focused on tracking the individual, we're actually tracking the virus," said Air Force Lt. Col. Christopher Panush, Task Force Kokanee officer in charge. "COVID-19 mapping is really what we are after; tracking where the virus might spread throughout the communities while working with the Department of Health."

In describing the process of COVID-19 mapping, Panush emphasized all the information belongs to the health department.

"The important aspect is that [guardsmen] will ask the person, the individual that has the virus, are they willing to be contacted?" he said. "If the answer is yes, then their information will go into the Department of Health's secure database and it's assigned a case number."

Once the case number is established by the epidemiology department at DOH, the case is then distributed to the call workers, who are a combination of Department of Health, Department of Licensing and Washington National Guard personnel.

"The questions during the phone calls are very scripted," Panush added. "The caller will ask the individuals a series of questions and try and establish where they have been in the past fourteen days. But again, the information is completely voluntary."

State EOC Support

Employees with the logistics division at the state Emergency Operations Center have had the herculean task of trying to find personal protective equipment at a time when everyone else on the planet was looking for the exact same thing. Even in June, months later, just a fraction of the $411 million in equipment ordered has actually arrived, according to statistics provided by the state Joint Information Center.

"The logistics section has been very short staffed with emergency management personnel to execute this very complex mission during this pandemic response," said Mark Douglas, logistics supervisor. "We solicited help from other state agencies and received help from DSHS, DOC and the National Guard."

The most in-demand items have been disposable gowns, N95 masks and powered air purifying respirators. As of May 25, more than 100 Washington manufacturers have re-tooled their facilities to manufacture personal protective equipment to meet that demand.

"We have been successful as a team in getting the limited amount of PPE to the right people at the right time, thanks to these partners and the team," Douglas said. "It has been a very long activation since mid-January, and we still have a lot of great work ahead."

In the meantime, the state EOC created a business and infrastructure branch specifically devoted to helping businesses navigate the complicated nature of the pandemic.

Taylor Hennessee and Brian Laughlin, who both work for the Washington Emergency Management Division, took turns leading the team and coordinating agency response from the state Department of Commerce, the Department of Labor & Industries, the state Department of Transportation, the Employment Security Department and assorted private and non-profit partners.

"We had some immediate infrastructure issues — people were flushing down wipes and clogging drains, everywhere," Laughlin said. "But that was a short-term issue. The long-term issue was how do we help businesses in need and the state with its 'essential' designations?"

Confusion spread over whether people would need to show passes to get into cities — and at one point a business re-entry program, designed more for large scale disasters such as earthquakes, was getting overwhelmed and confused with thousands of residents applying for special permission to get to their jobs.

"That was really tough — trying to convince people that there weren't going to be roadblocks and you didn't need a special pass," Laughlin said.

Another issue was coming up with a way to sort through the thousands of questions coming in on who was an essential business, what kind of social distancing measures were required for businesses and more. First, the questions showed up in email boxes — lots of email boxes — until a smart sheet database was established for questions and concerns. Then a team made up of many state agencies came together and started going through the questions to help business owners.

"This is something our state has never done before — but it's something we can take lessons out of in case we have an earthquake or other disaster," Hennessee said. "We had some folks at the state talking to each other who had never talked to each other before."

Hennessee said there were a lot of issues involving the supply chain and rumor busting, as well. Washington state was one of the first to give guidance to grocery stores on ways they could get ready for the pandemic, weeks before federal officials started issuing guidance.

"Our state was leading in a lot of efforts," she said.

One permanent change created during the pandemic is expanding the access of rural Wi-Fi spots.n With school and business closures across the state, the need for reliable Wi-Fi has been greater than ever.

Members of Washington Military Department's IT Division, which staff the Emergency Support Function 2 – Communications pod in the state EOC, worked diligently with partners at the Washington State Broadband Office and Northwest Open Access Network to increase wi-fi access to rural areas in particular.

There are now drive-up Wi-Fi hot spots all over the state, which are safe and offer high speed access.

Rich Hall has been spearheading efforts for the Washington Military Department. For years, the agency has been building relationships with the private sector as part of the internal Washington Emergency Communications Coordination Working Group.

Those connections led to the non-profit Information Technology Disaster Resource Center out of Texas, which has committed to donating $7 million worth of Wi-Fi and network infrastructure across rural areas in Washington state. This is infrastructure that will remain in place — even after the pandemic has ended.

"I helped design the network," Hall said. "I began to identify sites, both using existing coverage maps and data from where we know people have free and reduced lunches in schools in socioeconomic disadvantaged areas. At this point, we have more than 400 sites lit up and plans for another 600 when it's all done."

In addition, Hall worked with the private companies Verizon and T-Mobile who collectively donated more than 7,000 phones for folks in need, identified by the state Health Care Authority. The phones were free with subscription accounts paid for by the Health Care Authority

"I have a whole pile of stories where people saw immediate benefit from that," Hall said. "I had a little boy who hadn’t been able to talk to his mom because she was in the hospital for weeks; and his caregiver put a phone in his hand, and he was able to not just talk to her but FaceTime with her, and it was really emotional."

In addition, the GIS program within the Office of the Chief Information Officer along with the Washington Military Department, crafted specialized maps that enabled health officials and the Governor's Office to track COVID-19 cases in real time. The work was in conjunction with ESRI, a private company specializing in GIS work.

The same partnership was also able to push out a Wi-Fi map for Hall's project, and a third site that tracks the availability of childcare facilities.

Support to Employment Security

With businesses shut down to slow the spread of COVID-19, the state saw a record number of unemployment claims.

Organized criminals also spotted an opportunity to take advantage of the state's unemployment benefits. Over the course of a couple of weeks, overseas thieves made off with as much as $600 million in fraudulent unemployment claims.

As a result, the state's Employment Security Division, which manages Washington's unemployment benefits, froze thousands of accounts. This caused a financial hardship for those who truly needed the weekly benefit after being laid off from their full time jobs. While ESD continues to recoup the stolen funds, it asked the Washington National Guard to help with its efforts to eliminate the backlog of claims and ultimately, ensure those who need and qualify for unemployment benefits received them.

The guard has been asked to review the identification documents in ESD's electronic benefits system. Guardsmen will review the claims of those deemed as low risk of fraud and will help the requestor get their benefits.

(Sara Morris, Joseph Siemandel and Air Force Lt. Col. Alyson Teeter are assigned to the Washington National Guard's Joint Force Headquarters.)

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Pacific Partners

Marines operate assault amphibious vehicles during training with the USS Somerset in the Pacific Ocean, July 27, 2020.

Base Ops

Marines conduct base operations at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., July 16, 2020, during Summer Fury, an exercise designed to enhance Marine Air-Ground Task Force integration and increase aviation operations proficiency.

Green Guard

An Idaho Army National Guardsman participates in night hoist rescue training with fellow guardsmen using night vision goggle equipment and UH-72 Lakota helicopters near Gowen Field in Boise, Idaho, July 21, 2020.

Fiery Force

Soldiers fire rounds from an M120 mortar system at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, July 25, 2020.

Final Ride

Marines assigned to the 2nd Tank Battalion track through tank trails for the last time at Camp Lejeune, N.C., July 27, 2020. After serving the 2nd Marine Division for more than 75 years, the battalion is slated to deactivate as part of a future redesign of the Marine Corps.

General Officer Announcements

July 29, 2020

Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper announced today that the president has made the following nominations:

Air Force Maj. Gen. Nina M. Armagno for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general, with assignment as director of staff, Office of the Chief of Space Operations, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.  Armagno is currently serving as director, space programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics), Pentagon, Washington, D.C. 

Air Force Maj. Gen. William J. Liquori Jr. for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general, with assignment as deputy chief of space operations for strategy, plans, programs, requirements and analysis, Office of the Chief of Space Operations, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.  Liquori is currently serving as director, strategic requirements, architectures and analysis, Headquarters Air Force Space Command (redesignated U.S. Space Force), Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. 

Air Force Maj. Gen. Bradley C. Saltzman for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general, with assignment as deputy chief of space operations, operations, cyber, and nuclear, Office of the Chief of Space Operations, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.  Saltzman is currently serving as deputy commander, U.S. Air Forces Central Command; and deputy commander, Combined Forces Air Component Command, U.S. Central Command, Al Udeid, Qatar. 

Air Force Maj. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general, with assignment as commander, Space Operations Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.  Whiting is currently serving as deputy commander, Headquarters Air Force Space Command (redesignated U.S. Space Force), Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. 

Training Blast

Marines fire a round during training on Camp Pendleton, Calif., July 18, 2020.

General Officer Announcement

July 29, 2020

Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper announced today that the president has made the following nomination:

Air Force Maj. Gen. Sam C. Barrett for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general, with assignment as director for logistics, J-4, Joint Staff, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.  Barrett is currently serving as commander, Eighteenth Air Force, Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.

DOD Must Do More to Prevent Sexual Assault

July 29, 2020 | BY TERRI MOON CRONK , DOD News

The Defense Department must do more to prevent sexual assault and encourage reporting of such crimes, the deputy director of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office said on Capitol Hill.

Nate Galbreath testified today before the House Armed Services Committee's military personnel subcommittee in a hearing called in the wake of Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen's death at Fort Hood, Texas. Guillen was found dead, and an investigation continues.

"Even with my 30 years investigating violent crime, supporting victims and counseling the wounded, nothing prepares one for something like this," Galbreath said. "The murder of Specialist Guillen has touched us all in some way, but no one feels the loss more than her family. I can only hope that the groundswell of support, love, compassion and even inspiration that comes … in Vanessa's name can bring some comfort for those who loved and knew her."

A woman standing at a lectern speaks to a group. Behind her is a word graphic.


In Spanish, he added that no one should suffer as Guillen's family has suffered. 

Although harassment-policy criminal investigation in the military justice system falls outside his portfolio, Galbreath said, SAPRO is keenly aware of how these issues play a critical role in their work to prevent and respond to sexual assault, and to allow those who choose to make a report to do so without fear of retaliation. While more work remains, many of SAPRO's efforts have resulted in certain progress, he said. 

"As many of you know, the department has two key metrics in its sexual-assault program," he told the House panel. "First [is] estimated prevalence or how often crime occurs, which is the number we want to go down. Second, the number of reports [is what] we want to go up, which means that more victims are coming forward to connect with care and support services as well as [help] our efforts to hold offenders appropriately accountable," he explained. 

Data shows that the estimated prevalence rates of sexual assault in DOD has decreased by over a third over the past 14 years, Galbreath said. "And reporting of sexual assault is four times what it was in 2006," he added.

We are committed to working toward lasting, impactful, cultural change."
Nate Galbreath, deputy director, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office

However, DOD's most recent active-duty survey in 2018, showed an increase in the prevalence of sexual assault on women, he said. In addition, in that year, about 24% of women and 6% of men on active duty indicated experiencing behavior consistent with sexual harassment in the year before being surveyed.

Fear of retaliation complicates and degrades the department's efforts to encourage greater reporting of this conduct and to connect service members with restorative care, he emphasized.

"While not all behaviors perceived to be retaliatory by someone constitute retaliation that is actionable, all behaviors — actionable or not — gravely undermine our efforts in this space, and are incongruent with our expectations for dignity and respect," he said.

"To be blunt, such behaviors are absolutely unacceptable and have no place in a military that is striving for greater dignity, respect and inclusion for all," Galbreath said.

A teal ribbon pin adorns a pocket flap on a soldier's uniform.

In some, achieving and sustaining progress requires continuous institutional examination, reflection and evolution, he said, adding that the Defense Department acknowledges the gap between where it is now and where it desires to be. 

"We are committed to working toward lasting, impactful, cultural change," he said.

SAPRO establishes policy and conducts oversight on efforts to assist victims of sexual assault, encourage greater reporting, empower survivors to recover and prevent the crime. 

Refueling Training

Air Force Col. Brian Collins flies a C-17 Globemaster III during an air refueling training sortie near Salt Lake City, Utah, July 27, 2020.

Nevada National Guard Helps Shoshone Tribe in Fight Against COVID-19

July 29, 2020 | BY ARMY STAFF SGT. RYAN GETSIE

Nevada National Guardsmen with medical task forces 221 and 17 traveled north to assist the Shoshone Health District with COVID-19 community-based COVID-19 test collections in Duckwater, Nev.

According to Shoshone Health District records, their combined efforts July 1 resulted in testing 102 residents: 57% percent of the population and more than 80% of the active older adult population.

Nevada National Guardsmen review patient records at a drive-thru COVID-19 test site.

The Shoshone are a Native American tribe in eastern Nevada, where their people share a long and rich history. They are also known to be a part of the Great Basin American Indians, and at one point in history, the Shoshone tribes could be found stretching from central Wyoming to Texas, into California and up into parts of Canada. Although not known for their jewelry, Shoshone artists are famous for their beautiful beadwork, paintings, hides and woven baskets.

Army Staff Sgt. Keith Linford, with the Task Force Medical 17, discussed his take on the number of people tested within the timeframe. ''We tested over a hundred people in just four hours,'' he said. ''I think that's the largest number compared to all the other rural communities so far.''

Nevada National Guardsmen pose for a  photo with members from the Duckwater Shoshone Health Department.

Brenda O’Neil, the health manager for the Duckwater Shoshone Tribal Health Clinic, discussed some of the challenges her people faced the past few months as the pandemic spread throughout the country.

''Any time we leave the reservation, the closest store for supplies is 77 miles away,'' she said. ''Some of those stores were out of basic necessities like bread, flour, sugar and toilet paper. We had to sometimes travel further to cities like Las Vegas or Reno. That would expose us more to the virus.''

An airman holds a biohazard bag open for a soldier who collected a nasal swab sample from a local resident.

Having to travel hundreds of miles for testing was also a major hurdle for tribe members. The closest hospital with any type of specialty care is in Ely, Nevada. There's a cost associated with transportation, rooms, meals and any other incidentals, O'Neil said, adding that personnel and scheduling, along with the logistical requirements, need to be taken into account when planning medical trips off of tribal land.

''The majority here are elders, and they make up about 60% of our population,'' O'Neil said. ''We didn’t want them leaving the reservation and possibly exposing them to coronavirus.''

COVID-19: Beyond the Uniform

July 29, 2020 | BY Army Spc. Hannah Tarkelly

On a blistering hot day in the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, Army Spc. Enrique Acevedo and Army Pfc. Bennie Kinley, both with the North Carolina Army National Guard, were handing out meals to the children of Buncombe County. Suddenly, a mother from the neighborhood graciously offered ice cream to the two hard-working guardsmen to help cool them down.

Two soldiers wearing face masks and civilian clothes prepare packaged meals.

This simple scoop of kindness showcased a turning point in the developing relationship between these guardsmen and the local community. It was more than just ice cream. It was an offering and a  symbol of established trust.

"It shows the trust and strength between these programs and the communities,"Acevedo said. "They seem to be more accepting that we are just trying to help, … that there is good intention here."

Acevedo and Kinley of the 875th Engineer Company were a part of an eight-member team called up to help the citizens of Asheville. Their service affected the community so much so that it set into motion an unstoppable wave of unity, kindness and friendship during a time of crisis.

"Being an influence on the community just by being who you are makes you a better person," Acevedo said.

At the beginning of their assignment, the guardians in green were met with skepticism and wariness from a community not traditionally exposed to the uniform. To help alleviate the wariness, Acevedo and Kinley took off their uniforms and began distributing food in civilian clothing to show that they were just human beings trying to help.

"It feels really good to go out there and build trust with the communities," Kinley said.

For more than 60 days, the guardsmen have assisted the Mountain Area Nutritional Needs Alliance Foodbank in feeding people in 16 counties and supporting local school food programs.

Western North Carolina is home to diverse communities whose backgrounds originate around the world and who speak a variety of languages. To effectively communicate with the Latino community, these guardsmen broke down language barriers and built relationships of trust.

North Carolina National Guardsmen load meals into a van for distribution.

Kinley began to learn Spanish in Army Basic Combat Training to help a fellow trainee, who could not speak English, communicate with her drill sergeants. He continued to enhance his Spanish-speaking capabilities through civilian jobs and friends.

"I chose to learn to understand," Kinley said. "You could still have a friendship through a language barrier, but the more you learn... you gain more of a trust and stronger bond with them."

This experience further encouraged Kinley to learn and communicate with the families they were serving. Acevedo has been a guide in helping Kinley learn the culture and speak Spanish.

Acevedo has been a strong asset to the team due to his background, knowledge and ability to easily connect with the local community. Spanish was Acevedo's first language. He was born in New Jersey, but he was raised in Mexico. His mother eventually returned to the United States to make a better living.

When Acevedo was younger, he and his family often faced struggles from financial insecurity, and he began working at his mother's cleaning service. Due to these hardships, Acevedo knows what it's like to ask for help and receive assistance from programs much like the one he is now working at in Asheville.

"I've been working all my life," Acevedo said. "I understand what these people are going through. I used to be on these programs, so I understand what that means."

Two soldiers wearing face masks and civilian clothes flank a woman as she receives a white plastic bag containing meals.

Guardsmen understand that having diversity within the ranks makes a world of difference to the people who are trying to ask for help and communicate their needs. Army Sgt. Jonathan Greene, assigned to the 883rd Engineer Company and the noncommissioned officer in charge for the Ashville emergency relief team, has also made strides in helping the diverse community.

Back home, Greene was a volunteer at a local church that had a chapel for the deaf. The pastor mentored Greene and taught him American Sign Language.

Greene was able to transfer his capabilities and communicate with families in Asheville who were deaf and needed assistance. His unique asset enabled the food bank to effectively understand their needs and provide them the necessary food. "That always stuck with me," Greene said. "Especially handing out food to the families that were deaf."

The eight-member team brought more than just a helping hand. They went beyond their traditional duties to help achieve the joint mission.

"We're making more of a difference," Greene said. "We're helping a community."

(Army Spc. Hannah Tarkelly is assigned to the 382nd Public Affairs Detachment.)

U.S. European Command Force Posture Policy Press Conference: Secretary Esper's Opening Statement (as prepared)

July 29, 2020

Good morning everyone, and thank you for joining us today. Since being sworn into office more than a year ago, I have been consistent in stating that my top priority would be implementing the National Defense Strategy. Over the past year, we have done just that. 

If you look at my recent message to the joint force regarding the progress we’ve made, you’ll see very clearly how far we have moved on our three lines of effort, which include the first line of effort: build a more lethal force; and the second line of effort: strengthen alliances, as well as our 10 subordinate goals.

One important initiative to advance the NDS has been to conduct a review of all the Combatant Commands to ensure a focus on NDS priorities. This includes optimizing our force presence worldwide; directing our time, money, and manpower toward our highest priorities; implementing our Immediate Response Force, Contingency Response Force, and Dynamic Force Employment enhanced readiness concepts; and, moving toward greater use of rotational forces from the United States to enhance our strategic flexibility and operational unpredictability, as we’ve done over the past few months with our Bomber Task Forces. We are pursuing several other initiatives under this rubric as well.

There are currently more than a half dozen Combatant Command reviews underway, beginning with U.S. Africa Command, and the most recent being U.S. Space Command. Today, we want to update you on the status of our U.S. European Command review, which was accelerated with the President’s decision in early June to reduce our footprint in Germany, and our plans to reposition our forces in Europe to be better situated for Great Power Competition.

It is important to note that in NATO’s 71-year history, the size, composition, and disposition of U.S. forces in Europe has changed many times. Sometimes this has been a result of changes in the threat, sometimes because of other changes in the international environment, and sometimes simply because the borders between NATO countries and Russia have shifted as new Allies have joined. As we’ve entered a new era of Great Power Competition, we are now at another one of those inflection points in NATO’s evolution, and I am confident the Alliance will be all the better and stronger for it.

Since June, EUCOM has done excellent work in developing a plan that achieves the President’s objective, and meets the following five principles that I gave General Wolters as he and his staff began their planning:

1. Enhance deterrence of Russia

2. Strengthen NATO

3. Reassure allies

4. Improve U.S. strategic flexibility and EUCOM operational flexibility

5. Take care of our Service members and their families in the process.

The President approved the EUCOM plan in late June; we briefed key members of Congress last week; and the team and I spoke with NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg and directly affected Allies over the past few days. As we share the plan with you, note that this plan is subject to – and likely will – change to some degree, as it evolves over time.

PAUSE

The current EUCOM plan will reposition approximately 11,900 military personnel from Germany – from roughly 36,000 down to 24,000 – in a manner that will strengthen NATO, enhance the deterrence of Russia, and meet the other principles I set forth. 

Of the 11,900, nearly 5,600 Service members will be repositioned within NATO countries, and approximately 6,400 will return to the United States, though many of these or similar units will begin conducting rotational deployments back to Europe. The broad strokes of these moves are as follows:

Various U.S. headquarters will be consolidated in locations in Europe outside of Germany, including, in some cases, collocating at the same locations as their NATO counterparts in Belgium and Italy. This will strengthen NATO and improve the operational efficiency and readiness of over 2,000 Service members.

The nearly 4,500 members of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment will return to the United States, as other Stryker units begin continuous rotations farther east in the Black Sea region to enhance deterrence and reassure allies along NATO’s southeastern flank.

The 2,500 airmen based in Mildenhall, United Kingdom, who are responsible for aerial refueling and special operations, and who had been scheduled to re-base to Germany, will remain in the U.K., thus ensuring the uninterrupted readiness and responsiveness of these units.

A fighter squadron and elements of a fighter wing will be repositioned to Italy, moving them closer to the Black Sea region and better capable of conducting dynamic force employments and rotational deployments to NATO’s southeastern flank.

In addition to these moves and the rotational forces announced by President Trump and Polish President Duda in 2019, we also plan on rotating forward the lead element of the Army’s newly established V Corps headquarters to Poland, once Warsaw agrees to a Defense Cooperation Agreement and burden sharing details, as previously pledged.

Our aim is to implement these moves as expeditiously as possible, consistent with the principles I set forth from the beginning, particularly being fair to and taking care of our Service members and their families. We could see some moves begin within weeks; others will take longer.

PAUSE

As anyone can see, the repositioning of our forces in Europe constitutes a major strategic and positive shift, wholly in line with the NDS, and consistent with other adjustments the U.S. has made within NATO in previous times. 

These changes will unquestionably achieve the core principles of enhancing U.S. and NATO deterrence of Russia; strengthening NATO; reassuring Allies; and, improving U.S. strategic flexibility and EUCOM operational flexibility. 

And, of course, at all times, we will prioritize our most important resource: our Service members and their families. No moves will take place without thorough communication with our people, continued engagement with Congress, and consultation with our Allies.

Thank you, and I will now turn it over to the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Hyten, and EUCOM Commander General Wolters, who will cover these moves in more detail.