Saturday, April 18, 2020

NY National Guard has 3,600 on duty 42 days into COVID-19 response


NEW YORK--Forty-two days into the COVID-19 pandemic response mission, the New York National Guard had 3,600 troops performing missions ranging from answering public inquiry hotlines to assisting New York City in retrieving the remains of those who have died at home.

Along with 2,993 National Guard Soldiers and 452 Airmen, members of the New York Naval Militia and the New York Guard, the state defense force, are also serving.

The emotionally and physically challenging mission of assisting the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New York City in the dignified recovery of human remains is the toughest missions facing the Soldiers and Airmen, according to Army Maj. Gen. Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York.
There are 255 Soldiers and Airmen handling this mission.

The medical examiner's office is responsible for the dignified recovery of people who die outside of a hospital. The staff was overwhelmed at the spike in COVID-19-related deaths in the city of 8.5 million people, so city officials turned to the New York National Guard for help.

Now New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are on duty around the clock helping the Medical Examiner’s office.
"Your work makes a difference for families at a very critical time of need when their loss is most personal," Shields told members of the detail on April 2.
The mission started with specially trained Airmen of the 107th Attack Wing’s Fatality Search and Recovery Team. As the demands of the mission grew, additional troops were assigned.

Now Soldiers from the 101st Signal Battalion, the 152nd Brigade Engineer Battalion and the 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry, are also handling this duty.

New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are supporting ten drive through COVID-19 test sites run by the state Department of Health. Since the first site opened outside New Rochelle in Westchester County on March 15, 116,126 people have been tested at them.

A major mission has been the packaging and delivery of meals.
When the mission started, the goal was to provide meals to New Rochelle families whose kids would be missing school lunches because of closed schools. Since then the meal has expanded into a major feeding operation in New York City.

Soldiers and Airmen in New York City have distributed 1,398,947 meals since the start of the mission. On April 17, for example, 111,792 meals were provided in New York City.
The mission has grown so much that additional Soldiers deployed from western New York to help.

On April 14, 1st Lt. Jessica Reed, a platoon leader in the 2nd Squadron, `101st Cavalry led 25 Soldiers from Niagara Falls to New York City to assist in the food distribution mission in the Bronx. The Soldiers had been preparing for the mission since March, Reed said.

“Word got out that this was a potential thing,” said 1st Lt. Jessica Reed, a member of the squadron’s Bravo Troop. “We had our guys come in to armories to fill out paperwork and pack the essential things we knew they might need.”

The food distribution mission in Westchester County has provided 68,333 meals, while Soldiers in Albany County distributed 1,406 meals to people in quarantine.

Soldiers and Airmen are conducting warehouse operations at six locations across New York. They have been moving medical supplies ranging from ventilators to masks, and supplies to keep troops in the field across the state.

It’s not exciting work, but it is important, said Staff Sgt. Stephanie Kimball.

“I feel proud that we can do something in a time of need,” Kimball said. “We want to make sure that all our health care professionals have the personal protection equipment needed to do their jobs and keep themselves safe.”

Another necessary, but not glamorous product being distributed by the New York National Guard is hand sanitizer being packaged by the New York State Department of Corrections and Custodial Services.
Troops have distributed 35,432 gallons of hand sanitizer in the Hudson Valley since the mission began.

In Albany Soldiers and Airmen have been putting together COVID-19 testing kits to support the New York State Department of Health.

On April 17, for example, the Soldiers produced 8,300 kits for a total of 191,000 since the mission began.

“The Guard is helping us out with trying to get as many kits out as we can,” said Alexis Tripodo, a state employee of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. ”They are helping out tremendously with the speed of the completed kits and making sure it’s accurate, making sure every bag is packed correctly.”

“The more people we have, the faster we can get these to the sites and the more people we can test,” Tripodo said.

In New York City the New York National Guard continues to support the alternative care facility for COVID-19 patients established at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.

There are 2,100 military medical staff working at Javits and in New York City hospitals. U.S. Army Soldiers of the 44th Medical Brigade are providing staffing at the Javits New York Medical Station. Additional medical staff come from the U.S. Army Reserve, the Navy Reserve, the Air Force and the Civilian Medical Reserve Corps. A total of 2,708 people are working at the alternative care facility.

More than 950 patients have received care at the Javits New York Medical Station.

New York National Guard members continue to manage the Javits site as the unified command post for the multi-agency response and are providing other logistical, and administrative help.

On Easter, as an example of that support , new York Air National Guard Chaplain Lt. Col.) Jacob Marvel, 109th Airlift Wing, made sure anybody who wanted to receive communion that day had the chance.
While ensuring that social distancing protocols were followed, Marvel conducted an abridged Mass for 140 visitors to his temporary chapel at the convention center.

“My goal was to provide spiritual support for people who needed it or wanted it,” Marvel explained. “We are in the midst of Holy Days for several religions and our spirituality is an important part of how we stay balanced in this crisis.”

New York National Guard Soldiers are supporting an alternative care facility established at the state’s South Beach Psychiatric Center on Staten Island, as well as working at the Javits location.

A unique medical mission has placed pararescue Airmen of the 106th Rescue Wing at a New York City hospital to assist medical technicians there as they care for patients on ventilators.

New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen have been assisting the New York State Department of Health in answering calls to its Cornoavirus Hotline since the mission began. Working at a call center in Rotterdam, N.Y., and eventually taking over night and weekend duty, the National Guard members have fielded 183,169 calls since March 11.

That mission is expected to phase out on April 20 and the Soldiers and Airmen will move on to other duties.

A call center operation on behalf of New York City will continue. Guardsmen working there have handled over 4,000 calls.

Vice President Delivers Air Force Academy Commencement Address


April 18, 2020 | BY David Vergun , DOD News

Vice President Mike Pence delivered the Class of 2020 commencement address at the U.S. Air Force Academy's first virtual graduation, necessitated by social distancing guidelines for the coronavirus pandemic.

No families or friends were allowed to attend today's event.

Pence congratulated the academy's 62nd graduating class, saying he wouldn't want to be anywhere else but at their graduation.

"We gather at a time of national crisis as the coronavirus epidemic impacts our nation and the wider world," he said. The American people, as well as members of the armed forces, have met this challenge with courage, resilience and strength, the vice president added.

Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper, speaking from the Pentagon, congratulated the cadets. He said he expects the cadets to embody the values they learned at the academy: "integrity first, service before self and excellence in all you do."

"Aim high, and congratulations," the secretary told the graduating class.

Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also congratulated the cadets, speaking from the Pentagon.

"Your target is indeed in sight," he said, "but your journey is just beginning. You will serve your country in a time of incredible challenge and increased complexity in the global strategic environment."

The character of war is undergoing fundamental change, the nation's top military officer said, noting that new technologies and radically new doctrines will emerge. "You will be the leaders who lead our country into a distant future," the chairman told the graduating class.

Air Force Secretary Barbara M. Barrett; Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein; Space Force Gen. John W. "Jay" Raymond, the chief of space operations; Air Force Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Jay B. Silveria and others also attended.

The cadets' graduation coincides with the famed Doolittle Raid of World War II, 78 years ago, Goldfein noted. It was likely a one-way mission against the Japanese during World War II, he said. Before the mission, Army Air Force Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle encouraged his airmen to step back from the mission with no repercussions if they so desired. None did, Goldfein said.

Raymond said this is the first class of academy graduates that includes some who will enter the Space Force, calling it a very significant milestone.

The graduation was moved up from May 28 to allow the class to celebrate together, albeit with social distancing, ensuring their health and safety by adhering to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Defense Department guidelines on preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Air Mobility Command Battle Staff Directs Around-the-Clock COVID Fight Support


April 16, 2020 | BY AIR FORCE 2ND LT. EMMA QUIRK

A small group of experts continues to work around the clock at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, overseeing Air Mobility Command's contribution to Defense Department operations in the COVID-19 pandemic fight and arming mobility airmen with clear guidance on executing operations safely and effectively.

''We've been sprinting since [Air Force Gen. Maryanne Miller, the AMC commander] activated our CBS on March 4,'' said Air Force Maj. Gen. Samuel ''Bo'' Mahaney, AMC chief of staff.

''With clear instruction to provide a single, 24/7 cell of experts who can ensure uninterrupted rapid global mobility amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, these experts have produced more than 40 battle staff directives that offer guidance to our airmen on everything from aircraft decontamination to patient movement to timely reporting of COVID-19 cases on our installations,'' Mahaney said. ''With masks donned, these unsung heroes inside the CBS have toiled around the clock to ensure we continue to help those in need during these difficult times.''

Under Mahaney's direction and led by a colonel, the CBS is composed of civilian and military experts from across the headquarters staff, representing an array of specialties such as medical, logistics, operations, public affairs, security and liaisons from AMC's 618th Air Operations Center, to name a few. This collaborative team has provided expertise, networking and unique perspectives to solving problems, answering urgent tasks and disseminating time-critical information.

Early on, the CBS anticipated a shift toward virtual operations. When the governor of Illinois announced a statewide shelter-in-place order March 20, the team was already postured for the shift.

''Once Scott Air Force Base followed suit by implementing reduced manning operations, the CBS adjusted accordingly to protect the mission-essential personnel who continue to maintain a physical presence in work centers,'' said Air Force Col. John Platte, one of the first CBS directors to lead daily operations. ''To remain connected while abiding by social distancing procedures, we've done whatever [was] necessary to maintain robust communications across the battle staff and headquarters while keeping our people safe, to include staggered shifts and utilizing teleconference calls, collaboration platforms and other technology.''

As the CBS manages operations and responds to a steady flow of requests for information, several operational planning teams and working groups have labored away in adjacent rooms to develop in-depth plans and options for some of the more complex mobility issues AMC has faced during the pandemic.

''The CBS has been, and continues to be, critical to providing operational planning teams and working groups with information,'' said Air Force Col. Russel Frantz, who provided subject matter expertise to a team focused on aeromedical evacuation. ''This data was used to plan for and execute AMC's first Transport Isolation System patient movement, work contracts for the next-generation airborne isolation system known as the Portable Bio-Containment Module, and help leadership understand COVID-19 impacts to training and readiness.''

Among its more pressing tasks, the CBS was directed early on to develop guidance on how to continue conducting cargo and passenger movement and aeromedical evacuation missions in and through high-risk areas while remaining mindful of the growing risk that contagious passengers or patients might be aboard those missions.

''Our 24/7 OPTs have provided solutions on a variety of issues, including aircraft decontamination and the movement of contagious patients onboard pressurized, military aircraft,'' Frantz said. ''We've developed similar guidance and procedures before on a limited basis during contingencies like the 2014 Ebola outbreak, but never of this scale and scope. Our detailed plans and directives have allowed AMC to continue to conduct airlift and [aeromedical evacuation] missions across the globe in support of the joint force, our partners and allies.''

Under the direction of Air Force Brig. Gen. Joel Jackson, AMC deputy director for operations, and operational planning group director Air Force Col Scott Minton, the CBS and its supporting operational planning teams helped to plan and establish a Transport Isolation System operation staged out of Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Additionally, within hours of the CBS publishing an operational planning team effort to develop AMC's patient movement plan, a C-17 Globemaster III aircrew and medical support specialists stepped to their aircraft at Ramstein in the dark of night – with patient movement plan in hand – to execute the first operational employment of the system and the first movement of COVID-19 positive patients aboard a pressurized military aircraft.

The April 10 AE mission validated the efforts of the AMC planners who designed Transport Isolation System operations and the patient movement plan by safely transporting three infected U.S. contractors from Afghanistan to Ramstein. They are now receiving care at nearby Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.

''I'm immensely proud of what these airmen have done through around-the-clock operations,'' Mahaney said. ''Working long hours with a sense of urgency, their efforts providing guidance and resources to keep our AMC airmen safe as they carry out the mobility mission across the globe, from passenger terminal specialists checking those seeking to fly aboard our gray tails, to security forces airmen checking identification at the gate.''

As guidance is provided by the CBS, AMC units often provide formal and real-time feedback to the CBS director so they can revise to better meet the needs of the force. ''The men and women out executing the guidance we provide are our eyes and ears,'' said Air Force Col. Patrick Winstead, who pulled 10 shifts as CBS director. ''We depend on their feedback to make sure what we are providing is conducive to mission success.'' He added that overall, feedback has been constructive and positive.

Though the duty hours may have changed for some, a constant state of readiness is nothing new to mobility airmen. AMC routinely responds to emerging requirements for airlift across the globe so the command is poised to support the whole-of-government effort to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.

''It is crucial we keep everything moving across the globe,'' Mahaney said. ''Mobility airmen continue to safely execute rapid global mobility, and Headquarters AMC is no exception. We’re doing everything possible to ensure our airmen on the ground and in the skies are able to still conduct mobility operations in light of the elevated risk COVID-19 presents to our airmen and operations.''

(Air Force 2nd Lt. Emma Quirk is assigned to Headquarters Air Mobility Command.)