Air Force Airman Andrew Burr, Senior Airman Thomas Drouillar and Justin Raymundo test a new ultra high-pressure fire hose using an aircraft fire trainer at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, Sept. 15, 2020.
Thursday, September 17, 2020
Wash Down
Sailors wash the flight deck of the USS Tripoli while underway in the Pacific Ocean, Sept. 15, 2020.
Noble Partner
Army Sgt. Dylan Weiss and Spc. Anthony Roller establish a perimeter around a simulated enemy compound during Noble Partner at Vaziani Training Area, Georgia, Sept. 15, 2020. The exercise is designed to enhance force readiness and interoperability.
Water Rescue
A Coast Guard water response team rescues nine people and a dog near Navarre Beach, Fla., after heavy rain from Hurricane Sally flooded the region, Sept. 16, 2020.
March Formation
U.S. soldiers march to lunch at the deployment processing center, Rhine Ordnance Barracks in Kaiserslautern, Germany, Sept. 11, 2020. The DPC currently houses incoming personnel from the United States who are quarantined as they process into the European theater. Task Force Willkommen is a group of organizations facilitating this process during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Readout of Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Dr. James H. Anderson's Meetings With Indonesian Officials
Sept. 17, 2020
Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Dr. James H. Anderson concluded a productive visit to Indonesia where he met with Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto, Chief of Defense Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi, and Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan.
Dr. Anderson expressed solidarity with Indonesia’s efforts to combat
COVID-19 and reaffirmed the Department of Defense’s commitment to a
strong bilateral defense partnership.
The leaders discussed a range of regional issues including the South
China Sea, counter-terrorism, cyber threats, and U.S. investment in
Indonesia. They also discussed pending defense acquisitions.
Both sides affirmed the importance of senior-level policy dialogue and look forward to resuming annual military exercises and defense engagements as soon as conditions allow.
Cargo Hookup
Airmen attach cargo to a Texas Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk during a training mission over Chapman Annex, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, Sep. 9, 2020. The Black Hawk can transport up to 9000 pounds of sling load cargo and precisely deliver it anywhere, including remote and austere locations.
San Antonio View
The view of downtown as seen from a Texas Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk above San Antonio, Texas, Sep. 9, 2020. The Blackhawk can transport up to 9000 pounds of sling load cargo and precisely deliver it anywhere, including remote and austere locations.
Water Ready
Service members assigned to Joint Task Force Bravo participated in a COVID-19 compliant emergency deployment readiness exercise at Trujillo Bay, Honduras, Sept. 14, 2020.
Qatari and U.S. Defense Delegations Conduct Discussion of Defense Cooperation
Sept. 17, 2020
The U.S.-Qatar Military Consultative Commission (MCC) was held in Washington, D.C. September 16-17, 2020. Dr. Michael Cutrone, Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, led the U.S. delegation, while Brigadier General Abdulaziz Al- Sulaiti, Chief of Qatar’s International Military Cooperation Authority, led the Qatari delegation.
The United States and Qatar reaffirmed the important contribution their military cooperation provides for the security and stability of the region. The U.S.-Qatar military partnership is critical to combating terrorism, countering violent extremism, and deterring external aggression. U.S. officials praised Qatar’s support for the U.S. military presence in Qatar under the U.S. Central Command.
The United States welcomed Qatar’s continued willingness to host U.S. forces and both sides discussed planned improvements to critical facilities at those bases. The two governments discussed the current $26 billion Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, praised the recent delivery of AH-64E Apache combat helicopters, and looked forward to the upcoming delivery of F-15QA fighter jets.
The United States and Qatar discussed efforts to enhance their military relationship, including specifically in the areas of defense doctrine and strategy, security assistance and training, and military intelligence. The two governments acknowledged the continuing and strong and lasting bilateral security partnership, and look forward to that partnership enduring for years to come.
167th Airlift Wing Assists With Voluntary COVID-19 Mapping
Sept. 17, 2020 |
As COVID-19 threatens the local community, airmen from the 167th Airlift Wing continue to guide locals through the uncertainty of it all.
Currently, eight members are conducting voluntary COVID-19 mapping for the Berkeley and Jefferson County Health Departments. They are contacting people who have tested for COVID-19, guiding them through quarantine protocol, while collecting voluntarily-provided data.
"The lab will determine if the individual was positive or negative; once they are positive, then we start our process of contacting them within 24 hours," said Air Force Capt. Rodney Brown, the officer in charge of contact investigation for the Jefferson County Health Department. "Affected individuals are not required to provide us any information; we do ensure them that we are here to help."
The health department asks those testing positive for COVID-19 to provide the names and contact information of recently contacted individuals. The West Virginia National Guard is augmenting this initiative, led by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Research.
"The regular duties of the health department are still carried out by the nurses who work here and the physicians," said Air Force Staff Sgt. Erin Engle, contact investigator for the Jefferson County Health Department. "That's why it's so important to have additional personnel to help with the COVID-19 response because all of those things still needed to happen."
The airmen on this mission received on-the-job training provided by WVDHHR officials and nurse staff. They also had online training for restricting the release of medical information and cyber security classes to defend private healthcare information.
"There are a lot of medical terminologies that we've been using," Engle said. "We have to communicate both with patients that are COVID-19 positive and the nursing staff at the health department, and if you can speak both languages, that helps. Being a licensed practical nurse and a medical technician makes communication with the health department more seamless."
On a typical day, the health department nurses receive the positive cases, then transfer them to the contact investigators, who will then make an initial phone call to let the person know that they tested positive or negative for COVID-19. Next, they explain the quarantine procedure. They also collect information on who they've been around, where they've been, and what their occupation is to try to determine potential exposure to their communities.
"We stick to the script," Brown said. "For instance, if there is a particular restaurant that several people have patronized within the last week, questions like this could lead the investigators to find a possible outbreak and warn others at risk."
The Berkeley and Jefferson county teams have placed more than 6000 calls concerning their assigned COVID-19 cases. One person in a case will take 15 to 30 minutes to enter into the WVDHHR database. Each case has the potential for more than a dozen entries as other people affected become possible positive cases.
"It's a lot of data that we are trying to collect in a short amount of time," Brown said. "We all have the common mission, the common goal which is to educate the community and to combat the pandemic."
(Air Force Staff Sgt. Timothy Sencindiver is assigned to the 167th Airlift Wing).
Green Guardsman
Army Spc. Jakob Ellingson takes pellet gunfire during the Army National Guard’s 2020 Best Warrior Competition at Camp Shelby, Miss., Sept. 16, 2020.
Drill Line
Marine recruits demonstrate drill movements at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., Sept. 16, 2020. Final Drill tests instructors on ability to give drill commands and tests recruits on ability to properly execute the movements.
Seahawk Strike
A Navy MH-60 Seahawk helicopter pulls a service member out of the water during a mine countermeasures interoperability exercise in the Persian Gulf, Sept. 10, 2020.
Hurricane Response
Soldiers assist residents of Escambia County, Fla., after heavy rain from Hurricane Sally flooded the region, Sept. 16, 2020.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
