Friday, October 09, 2020

DOD Uses International Contacts to Help Allies, Partners Combat COVID-19

 Oct. 9, 2020 | BY Jim Garamone , DOD News

In January, when the first inklings of a new, dangerous virus in China was on the horizon, Defense Department personnel alerted a well-established and internationally-connected departmental team to be prepared for a pandemic, said Stephanie Hammond, acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for stability and humanitarian affairs.

Overall, DOD has provided more than $105 million to 139 countries to aid testing, diagnostic support, infection control, personal protective equipment, contact tracing and more. This has been accomplished through the Humanitarian Assistance and Response Operations team within Hammond's Pentagon office.

A graphic that includes a map of the world pinpoints the nations helped by the Defense Department during the pandemic.

"We know that COVID is an international problem that requires an international solution," said Deputy Secretary of Defense David L. Norquist. "As such, the United States is doing its part to save lives and defeat the pandemic. Across our government, people are working diligently to provide Americans, as well as our allies and partners, with medical equipment, supplies and technical assistance to support a global response capacity to a global issue." 

When the coronavirus first appeared, no one knew how quickly it would spread, nor did medical personnel know exactly how it would spread, how deadly it would be, or what defenses work against it.

HARO is the nerve center of DOD's response internationally. The department — with personnel in countries around the globe — is uniquely positioned to assist U.S. civilian agencies, as well as international allies and partners. 

"The HARO team, ready to respond 24/7/365, helps DOD quickly scale up its unique capabilities to support whole-of-government efforts in an international crisis response, including the COVID-19 pandemic," Hammond said.

The department's response to international humanitarian needs is built on experiences shared and best practices learned from previous global crises. The department's response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the 2014-15 Ebola crisis, the 2016 Caribbean hurricane, to name just a few, combined with DOD's ongoing going health initiatives and humanitarian assistance activities have yielded, over time, a system of best practices that only firsthand experience can provide.

"There is not a corner of the globe that DOD and the HARO team have not worked to meet the critical humanitarian needs of our international allies and partners," Hammond said.

Two service members stand inside the cargo hold at the rear of an airplane, while one loads some pallets onto machinery. Two other service members stand outside the plane; a large box sits next to them.

DOD's dedicated involvement in the U.S. government's overseas crisis and humanitarian responses over the last 25 years taught us both the need and the value that a team of specialists with unique backgrounds in military, humanitarian, health and foreign affairs can bring to bear on the needs of others, according to Hammond.

DOD's first involvement in the COVID-19 crisis really came with cruise liners, defense officials said speaking on background. "That's when we really started to get an inkling that things were not normal," the official said. 

The department helped get Americans off the affected cruise liners, back to the United States, and then quarantined the people at military posts. 

But even before that, the office activated the department's global health engagement council and working group. The group grew out of experiences during the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014-2015. That experience showed the breadth of capabilities needed to combat a pandemic. The group — which existed before — picked up advisors from many different portions of DOD and includes personnel from the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development. 

While tens of thousands of military personnel have helped fellow citizens combat COVID-19, there are thousands more making a difference overseas, where friends, allies and partners are struggling with the same coronavirus threats.

Engaging closely with the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Health and Human Services, the HARO team evaluates international requests for assistance with the department's ability to support and complement — versus duplicate — others' efforts.

Airmen load pallets onto an aircraft.

The heavy DOD involvement in the interagency response to Ebola, for example, really called for a more robust team within Hammond's office. The team was operational before COVID-19, "so DOD could scale up the unique capacity that it has within the interagency," Hammond said.

This includes the vast network of international medical lab centers, diagnostic centers and equipment and a worldwide transportation web. 

"The team paid dividends right from the get-go," a defense official said. 

In March, in addition to more U.S. efforts, there were more international efforts, too. "We really focused on what were the most acute needs of allies and partners," Hammond said. "We were working with State [Department] and USAID to make sure that we were complementing and not duplicating efforts."

Protective equipment, diagnostic tests and more were requested. The DOD office sorted the requests and acted. DOD shipped a field hospital to Mexico that had been requested months before COVID-19 was identified. The $2 million facility arrived just before the pandemic started, and U.S. and Mexican officials worked together to reconfigure it to handle COVID-19 patients. The Mexicans split it into two parts to serve more people. It was funded via OHDACA — the Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster Assistance and Civic Aid fund.

Italy was hit hard in the early days of the pandemic, and Hammond's office provided almost $10 million in OHDACA funding. The program helped Italy build its internal capacity to respond to the pandemic, Hammond said. The aid will help  the country improve its in-house capacity to respond to anticipated second and third waves of the pandemic.

OHDACA is not simply a transfer of funds, but a transfer of equipment, materials, expertise or a combination of all. It is an immediate boost to capacities, not something that has to be bought and brought in, officials said.

In a view from the back of a cockpit, two pilots look ahead at an airport runway.

The six combatant commands are each involved in the process. For example, U.S. Northern Command helped with the Mexico transfer. U.S. European Command helped with Italy. U.S. Africa Command provided public health subject matter expertise to the African Union and the Africa CDC. U.S. Southern Command has just shipped a field hospital to Jamaica.

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command worked closely with USAID to deliver ventilators to Indonesia and train Cambodian field epidemiologists.

DOD programs are helping allies and partners obtain therapeutic drugs and learn the latest in how to treat COVID-19 patients.

The United States stands by this help also. U.S. personnel help to ensure that the local officials know how to use the equipment and maintain it. The U.S. can provide people who can explain the latest treatment techniques and preventive measures. All of this benefits the people of those regions and creates stability so that they have a better opportunity to survive, prosper and thrive, officials said. 

DOD scientists are involved in every aspect of the COVID-19 vaccination effort, and the office is well-versed in progress on that front. It stands ready — once a vaccination is developed and deemed safe — to assist allies and partners build their own programs.

"We want to be very responsive to allies and partners in need of pandemic assistance," Hammond said. "What distinguishes us from the response of other actors, particularly China, is that the U.S. commitment is enduring. We are there for our allies and partners to improve their own internal capacity in a way that serves them best so that they may successfully respond to this global pandemic."

Over the Rainbow

 

An Army vehicle sits parked during a gunnery event in Okinawa, Japan, Sept. 25, 2020.

Western Hemisphere Allies Work Together to Ensure Stability

 Oct. 9, 2020 | BY Jim Garamone , DOD News

A sign outside an office in the Pentagon summarizes the feelings of the people inside the office: "The Western Hemisphere Is the Best Hemisphere."

Sergio De La Peña, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Western Hemisphere affairs, says that, despite some problems, the "neighborhood" is safe and prospering. Still, this condition requires constant attention and involvement. 

Airmen load cargo into a huge aircraft.

De La Peña's office provides policy guidance for U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Southern Command. It has responsibility stretching from the Arctic to the Antarctic. It is half the globe.

De La Peña is the only deputy assistant secretary for the region. In contrast, the rest of the globe has eight deputy assistant secretaries. 

The Western Hemisphere is relatively peaceful compared to the rest of the world, but it isn't without problems. Transnational criminal organizations call the hemisphere home. Drug and human trafficking are vast problems throughout the hemisphere. Economic disparities exacerbate migration trends and there are a few countries — Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua — that just can't get with the program, De La Peña said.

And the hemisphere is not immune to problems arising in other parts of the world. China and Russia are rising great power competitors of the United States and they see some countries in the region as ripe targets. China and Russia look for any way to sow dissension among friends and create doubt and uncertainty in alliances.

Four men wearing uniforms stand outside a building; two of the men are talking.

Terrorist organizations, too, look for ungoverned or under-governed areas in which to establish safe havens. The terrorist groups also look to cooperate with transnational criminal organizations.

Countering these threats requires constant monitoring, communication and effort. Thankfully, De La Peña said, the extent and level of cooperation among the nations of the hemisphere may be at its highest levels to date. 

"We are a collaborative, prosperous and secure hemisphere," he said. The United States is working with nations of the hemisphere to improve lives throughout the region. The United States is not imposing its will, he said, but listening to its neighbors as cooperatively, the region moves forward.

"Transparency, the rule of law, human rights, the rights of … minorities," are all values shared among the nations of the Western Hemisphere, De La Peña said. It has been a tough row to get to this point as many of the nations emerged from dictatorships. The progression has been a "whole-of-governments" effort — meaning all elements of U.S. influence and power worked with the elements of influence and power in partner nations. Democracy cannot be imposed on a nation or people, but must be the desire of the population.

Economic, diplomatic and intelligence/information is part of the effort, but the military plays a role in the effort, as well. 

A ship sails on the ocean as the sun sets.

U.S. Southern Command has outstanding contacts and relations with the nations of Central and South America and the Caribbean, De La Peña said. 

The main U.S. military effort is helping the nations of the region build capabilities to guard their sovereignty. The militaries must answer to their civilian leaders and respect the human rights of their citizens. 

This is working. Many of the Central and South American militaries have embraced this effort and, frankly, have become "exporters" of security. Colombia and El Salvador provided forces in Iraq in the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Other hemispheric nations are providing trained, professional forces to United Nations missions.

But the most important aspect of this is the nations are working together in the region in ways they did not in the past. 

Many hemispheric nations are exchanging intelligence and information on shared threats. Service members are working bilaterally with the United States and multilaterally to improve responses and interoperability.

"What we are asking is for them to be situationally aware of their own environment and then be willing to share as they see fit," De La Peña said. "It's like a neighborhood watch; nations must have situational awareness over their own sovereign space."

Maintaining situational awareness over land, sea and air is tough enough, but, now, the new domains of space and cyber add new levels of complexities to an already daunting task, he said. 

But those new domains are key to understanding threats and combating them. 

Two service members in a military vehicle watch as a helicopter approaches.

There are very few threats that reside completely within the borders of one nation. Cooperating and sharing is absolutely essential to beating back those threats. 

On the military-to-military relations side of the equation, leaders have good relationships. They have a common understanding of threats, and they can advise civilian leaders on the strategies necessary to defeat them, De La Peña said.

"Militaries can help provide guidance and leadership," De La Peña said. "That security is key because if you don't have security, you're not going to have prosperity."

The United States will continue its close work with hemispheric nations. The Inter-American Defense College at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington is a premiere venue for collaboration. Professional military education – officer and noncommissioned officer – are other ripe areas where U.S. and allied officers can get to know one another and learn how each thinks and acts. 

The interaction among the neighbors requires constant maintenance, De La Peña said. The United States cannot take hemispheric allies for granted. 

Fitness Competition

 

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Lennon Dregoiw participates in a fitness competition at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Sept. 30, 2020.

Gun Run

 

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Mackenzie K. Price participates in a gun run during training at Camp Hansen in Okinawa, Japan, Sept. 30, 2020.

Pledge of Allegiance

 

The commanding officer of Naval Station Rota, Spain, joins the elementary school principal in leading students in the pledge of allegiance on their first day back in school after holding classes remotely since late August, Oct. 5, 2020.

Operation Warp Speed Makes Swift Progress

 Oct. 9, 2020 | BY Terri Moon Cronk , DOD News

Unprecedented progress has been made recently on Operation Warp Speed – the effort by the Defense Department, Health and Human Services, other federal agencies and private industry to develop a coronavirus vaccine, an HHS official said today.

In a telephone briefing with reporters, HHS policy deputy chief of staff Paul Mango said, "We're very, very pleased with where we are." He was joined on the media conference call by Dr. Janet Woodcock, M.D., the director of the centers for drug evaluation research at the Food and Drug Administration, and Dr. Jay Butler, the deputy director for infectious diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

An airman wearing personal protective equipment administers a COVID-19 test to a person in their car.

Mango reminded reporters that four of the six vaccine candidates are in phase III clinical trials, and added that the Food and Drug Administration continues to review vaccine safety information on the candidates. 

"For all of these vaccines — all six vaccine candidates — we are already manufacturing at industrial scale," he said, "Along the way, we've encountered the normal what I would say scientific obstacles that had to be overcome. We feel very good about having done that. And now we're just waiting particularly for those that are in phase III trials for the appropriate number of events to occur so that those vaccines can be evaluated by the FDA." 

Progress has also been made on vaccine distribution plans, he said.

"We're in the process of actively engaging tens of thousands of provider outlets for these vaccines," Mango said. "We anticipate having collectively 65,000 [to] 75,000 points of potential vaccination. Our [information technology] system is knitting together a lot of the legacy systems that the CDC has had in place for a long time [and] we're testing that, stress testing it; we feel very good thus far about its capacity and its robustness."

Researcher wearing full antiviral protection works in a laboratory.

More than 40-million kits have been assembled to house the vaccines, which are in warehouses, ready to go, Mango noted, adding that undertaking was a large-scale logistical task that's also going well. 

Woodcock said two drug companies — Eli Lilly and Regeneron — recently announced they had completed study findings in outpatients. Both of the firms have publicly announced they have submitted emergency-use authorizations to the FDA based on early data, she said.

"In the meantime, we continue to study the Lilly antibody in both inpatients and outpatients in OWS-supported NIH active trials," she said. "We're also, of course, looking at a whole range of other interventions to manage complications of the infection."

A sailor administers a practice COVID-19 test.

Woodcock said the team feels as though the early indications of antiviral activity and potential impact on the clinical course of disease is very promising. "In the meantime, we continue to study these antibodies and we plan to study more of them in our master protocol."

"We've been preparing for implementation of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine programs," Butler said. "Nationally, we believe it is a crucial next step as part of our overall efforts to protect Americans, reduce the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and help restore some normalcy to our lives in our country."

Pentagon Police Host Virtual Tour for Elementary Students

 Oct. 9, 2020

The Pentagon Police pride themselves on protecting those who protect our nation. Now, during the pandemic, they're also reaching out to those who are the future of our nation. 

A Pentagon police officer holds up a tablet in front of a building entrance, where a fellow police officer stands.

On Wednesday, Pentagon Police Officer Christopher Nation led students from Hugh Mercer Elementary School in Fredericksburg, Virginia, on a virtual tour of the Pentagon reservation.

For Nation, it was a way to help students adversely affected by the pandemic and give back to the community. The Pentagon Force Protection Agency isn't staffed to conduct virtual public tours on a regular basis, but Nation offered the tour after getting to know one of the school's teachers. In the spring, Nation and some colleagues helped the school raise money to continue funding a food truck hired to feed children whose families were struggling over the summer months. 

The tour was a hit for everyone. For the teachers, it was a way to liven and enrich their students' education at a time when onsite classroom learning has been halted because of COVID-19. For the students, it was a chance to learn about the nation's preeminent military command center.

But most of all, for the first-graders in attendance via Zoom, it was a chance to see the Pentagon Police K-9s — or at least one K-9, Reisja, a 9-year-old Belgian Malinois — in action.

A Pentagon police officer stands and speaks as a dog sits and looks up at him on a grassy field.
A police canine lies in a grassy field with her mouth open.

"The kids all love the dogs, and that's why they're part of the tour," Nation said. "We want it to be fun, memorable and educational. At a time of crisis like this, we all need to do our part and lend a hand."

The virtual tour was the latest in a series that Hugh Mercer Elementary has conducted in lieu of onsite field trips, since those are no longer allowed because of COVID-19.

"We've had a realtor, a dental hygienist, a rock band and, now, Officer Nation and the Pentagon Police," Jodi Ehlen, a first-grade teacher at the school, said. "Especially with everything that's going on today, we think it's important that our kids get to see a positive view of the police."

"We enjoyed doing this, and I think it went well ...The kids learned something, and they seemed to have a good time." 
Pentagon Police Officer Christopher Nation

More than 170 students watched the virtual tour, which only highlighted the outdoor areas of the property due to the need to maintain unclassified internet connectivity. Officer Nation Zoomed in via iPad while using his iPhone as a hotspot.

The virtual tour began at the Pentagon Memorial and included the Pentagon Metro and bus terminal, which are used by thousands of commuters each day. Then, they got to see the Pentagon parade field, which overlooks the U.S. Capitol, the Jefferson Memorial and the Washington Monument and offered a spectacular and majestic view for the Zoomed-in students. The kids were even interested to hear there's a McDonald's inside the building! 

A Pentagon police, shown from behind, stands and holds up a tablet at the top of an escalator.

"We're not staffed to offer virtual tours on a regular basis, PFPA Director Daniel P. Walsh said. "But maybe this can serve as a model for how the Department [of Defense] can safely and securely share the history and majesty of this building with the broader public."

When the virtual tour ended, Officer Nation, K-9 Cpl. Keith Wilson and Sgt. William Kraft took questions from the students.

Not surprisingly, most of the questions concerned the dogs: "What do you do if they run away?" one first-grader earnestly asked. The officer's answer: "We make sure the K-9s are well-trained so they don't run away!"

"We enjoyed doing this, and I think it went well," Nation said of the tour, which lasted a little more than an hour. "The kids learned something, and they seemed to have a good time."

"They've really been through a lot because of the pandemic," he added. "They don't understand what's going on. Seeing smiles on their face, seeing them laugh — that makes it all worthwhile."

Food Storage

 

Air Force airman Sara Mark packs boxes of food at a warehouse in Lakewood, Wash., Sept. 2, 2020. Airmen and soldiers from the Washington National Guard have been working at the warehouse since early April as part of the state’s COVID-19 response efforts.

Water Distribution

 

Members of the Texas National Guard distribute bottled water to residents after a deadly amoeba struck the water supply of Lake Jackson, Texas, Oct. 9, 2020.

Airmen Provide COVID-19 Testing for West Virginia

 Oct. 9, 2020 | BY AIR FORCE COURTESY STORY

The 167th Medical Group Expeditionary Community Testing Detachment for COVID-19 supported a community testing event at the West Virginia University Recreation Center in Morgantown W.Va., Sept. 30 and will be supporting another event there this week.

Two airmen wearing face masks carry a box.

Since early on in the global pandemic, the 167th Airlift Wing has supported West Virginia COVID-19 response efforts with manpower, resources and time.

"We were told to prepare to be [ready to test] every Wednesday from now until further notice, so we don't have an end date," Air Force Maj.Lori Wyatt, 167th Medical Group lead nurse, said.

According to Dr. Lee Smith, Monongalia County Health Department executive director, although the county has a large health department, the Guard is a force multiplier for getting tasks done.

The testing detachment will also be supporting community testing in Grafton, W.Va., this week.

"We're fortunate to have a large team here so we can split up and support both locations," Wyatt said.

The team has performed COVID-19 swab testing in 22 counties in rain, snow, sleet and sweltering heat and has learned to be prepared and flexible as testing missions often change, according to Wyatt.

Airmen wearing face masks sit in a circle preparing COVID-19 nasal swab test kits.

Currently more than 50 airmen are supporting the state's COVID-19 response efforts.

In addition to the testing detachment, some airmen are supporting local health departments with voluntary COVID-19 mapping, and others are supporting Task Force Sustainment-East.

Task Force Sustainment-East, a team of approximately 12 guardsmen, is responsible for the delivery of personal protective equipment such as nitrile gloves, N95 masks, surgical gowns, face shields and hand sanitizer to locations in the eastern panhandle region of the state.

"It's a good opportunity for us to serve and help the state," Air Force Master Sgt. Abel Guajardo, the noncommissioned officer in charge of Task Force Sustainment — East.

(Air Force Courtesy Story from the 167th Airlift Wing).

COVID-19 Restrictions Lead to Successful Recruiting at Fort McCoy

 Oct. 9, 2020 | BY Navy Chief Petty Officer Elijah G. Leinaar

Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the Navy has taken great care to protect its newest recruits from the virus, establishing precautions and measures that enabled the service to graduate more than 17,000 recruits through boot camp since March. To support this mission-essential undertaking, sailors from within the MyNavyHR enterprise volunteered to oversee and lead the establishment of the restriction of movement, or ROM, site for recruits at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.

In August, 13 sailors from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command boarded a bus with 13 other sailors from various commands based out of Millington, Tennessee, and headed for Wisconsin. The all-volunteer crew of 26 sailors was mixed in rank spanning from E5 to E9, with their Navy experience being as diverse as their personalities.

Navy recruits wearing backpacks and face masks wash their hands in bathroom sinks.

''This is a one-of-a-kind mission," said Chief Petty Officer Justin West, a cryptologic technician (interpretive) assigned to Navy Recruiting Command. "Even though there was no previous blueprint to follow, the ability of sailors to come together and accomplish so much in such a short amount of time has been nothing short of awesome."

West alluded to the team's goal, which was to establish a ROM site for Navy recruits to be tested for the coronavirus and wait in a 14-day holding pattern at a safe environment to mitigate the risk of spreading the virus before being transported to Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois.

"It's a testament to our Navy that sailors have come together so quickly and efficiently to produce something of this caliber," West said. "Everyone has shown an extremely high level of professionalism and motivation to draw from, and that has helped us tremendously."

Even though there was no previous blueprint to follow, the ability of sailors to come together and accomplish so much in such a short amount of time has been nothing short of awesome.''
Chief Petty Officer Justin West

The Millington team met up with RTC staff Sept. 14, and immediately began work on preparing open bay Army barracks for the weekly arrival of new recruits.

"The beginning was complicated as everyone showed up at Fort McCoy," said Navy Command Senior Chief Mark Rayner, RTC Fort McCoy ROM detachment senior enlisted leader. "Everyone pulled together, and after just two days, barracks were being set up, training sessions were being held and teams were being established ready to receive the first 600 recruits the following week. The individuals here really displayed the agility and grit that U.S. Navy sailors bring to the fight, and they weren't going to let this mission fail."

Establishing a ROM location at Fort McCoy, an Army training center in western Wisconsin, ensures the long-term safety and security of the recruits. It also consolidates support staff in one location while continuing to execute the essential task of training the Navy's newest sailors.

"The benefits of the Fort McCoy ROM site are endless," Rayner said. "We are able to operate a mission totally focused on restriction of movement, while independent from RTC's training mission. Our open bay barracks layout provides a perfect balance to be able to keep the ROM recruit population in small groups to reduce risk while allowing for around-the-clock active leadership and development from the recruit supervisors in the barracks."

Sailors wearing face masks talking in a group.

Essentially, all inbound recruits receive the basics in rank recognition, general orders, the Sailor's Creed, RTC's chain of command and more. Each barracks is equipped with TVs and tablets where staff stream curriculum. Staff are able to get to the core of warrior toughness training and incorporate it into their daily routine.

Some of the boot camp survival skills start at the barracks where they learn how to live together in large groups. Other skills come from forming up in small groups to go to the base chow hall for each meal. In the end, leaders could see the two-week ROM period was preparing recruits for when they arrived for basic training at Great Lakes.

"Without a doubt, the recruits coming out of Fort McCoy will be better prepared with a foundation of basic military knowledge," Rayner said.

In July, CNRC increased shipping to an average of 1,200 recruits per week, while maintaining safety standards for the coronavirus. Consequentially, the Navy was the only military branch in fiscal year 2020 to make their active duty enlisted recruit-shipping goal. The Navy's eagerness to work with the Army to create a ROM site is an example of the creative problem solving needed to man the fleet.

"The entire Navy relies on this mission as we are the first stop for new recruits before moving on to the Navy's only boot camp," Rayner continued. "The fleet is in need of skilled junior sailors, and this mission has allowed the Navy to be the only branch to stay on track, reach the accession goal for the fiscal year, provide new sailors to the follow-on training and, in turn, add the needed support in the fleet. The Fort McCoy ROM mission reduces risk to force while maximizing throughput of new personnel through the training pipeline."

The requirement for support from Millington sailors ended after a month, as RTC brought in 135 staff to continue the ROM mission, and the 26 volunteers returned to Millington.

"We currently have 90 recruit barracks, 10 staff barracks, 11 admin and supply buildings and six classrooms," said Chief Petty Officer Jessica Barnes, assigned as the Fort McCoy operations chief for RTC. 

Navy recruits wearing face mask stand in formation.

"RTC and this team will make it so that we can sustain this operation forever if we had to. We are creating processes for longevity so that anyone who comes after us could pick up where we left off," Barnes said.

RTC continues to protect the welfare of its recruits and staff and works closely with medical experts to mitigate the transmission of the coronavirus.

"We train everyone in basic hygiene like handwashing, ensuring we train and enforce proper mask wear and social distancing. Our sanitation protocols are above recommended standards, and our entire operation is designed to minimize contact,'' Barnes said. "We also have a wonderful medical team, onsite, that has proven time and time again to find a way. They have helped us develop our barracks layouts, marching formations and how we balance the mission with training. The last benefit is having the capacity for our own isolation and quarantine barracks in case anyone does receive a positive test result."

Boot camp is approximately eight weeks, and all enlistees into the U.S. Navy begin their careers at the command. Training includes physical fitness, seamanship, firearms, firefighting and shipboard damage control along with lessons in Navy heritage and core values, teamwork and discipline. More than 40,000 recruits train annually at RTC.

(Navy Chief Petty Officer Elijah G. Leinaar is assigned to Navy Recruiting Command).

Bambi Bucket Training

 

Sailors conduct a bambi bucket aerial firefighting training exercise aboard an MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter near Norfolk, Va., Sept. 3, 2020. The bambi bucket is a portable and flexible tool designed to facilitate helicopter aerial firefighting and is capable of holding 11,000 pounds of water.

Former Commander of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay Sentenced to Prison

 A former Commander of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (GTMO) was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison following his multiple convictions of obstructing justice and making false statements, in connection with the death of a civilian at the naval base.

Following a five- day trial, on Jan. 17, 2020, a federal jury in the Middle District of Florida convicted Captain John Nettleton, 53, of Jacksonville, Florida, of two counts of obstruction of justice, one count of conealment of material facts, one count of falsification of records, and two counts of making false statements, all related to his actions during the Navy’s investigation of the death of Christopher M. Tur, the Loss Prevention Safety Manager at GTMO’s Naval Exchange. 

Nettleton was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan who also ordered Nettleton to serve one year of supervised release.

Tur, 42, was found drowned in the waters of Guantanmo Bay on Jan. 11, 2015.  An autopsy revealed that Tur had suffered injuries prior to his drowning.  At the time of Tur’s death, Nettleton was the commanding officer of GTMO. 

“Nettleton misled and obstructed the investigators attempting to determine what happened to Mr. Tur, and this sentence ensures that he will pay a heavy price,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.  “That price, however, pales in comparison to that paid by the family of Mr. Tur, whose pain was compounded by Nettleton’s actions.  The Department of Justice was proud to work closely with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) to hold Nettleton accountable for his obstruction, concealment, and false statements.”

“By deliberately misleading NCIS in the search for Mr. Tur and the ensuing investigation into the circumstances of his death, Captain Nettleton delayed justice and wasted valuable Department of the Navy resources,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas Cannizzo of the NCIS Southeast Field Office.  “NCIS is dedicated to holding accountable those who unlawfully impede investigations."

The facts developed at trial showed that Tur confronted Nettleton at a party at the GTMO Officers’ Club on Jan. 9, 2015, with allegations that Nettleton and Tur’s spouse had engaged in an extramarital affair.  Later that same evening, Tur went to Nettleton’s residence and a physical altercation ensued that left Tur injured.  Tur was reported missing on Jan. 10, 2015, by other residents of GTMO.  Despite knowing that Tur had been at his residence and injured during the altercation, Nettleton falsely informed his superior officers and other Navy personnel that Tur had last been seen at the Officer’s Club the night before.  Nettleton also did not report that Tur had accused him of the extramarital affair, that Nettleton and Tur had engaged in a physical altercation at Nettleton’s residence, or that Tur had been injured.  Nettleton persisted in this concealment and these false statements as the search for Tur and then the investigation into the circumstances of his death continued.

NCIS investigated the case and Deputy Chiefs Todd Gee and Peter M. Nothstein of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section prosecuted the case.