Some military leaders concede the scope of the virus threat wasn’t fully understood before it took root globally.
“We started putting some of these data points together and trying to string it together over the course of February,” Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, who visited South Korea to see the situation firsthand in February, said at the Pentagon Thursday. “It’s just been a very, very complex issue that’s taken time to get the data points together.”
North Korea, Iran
Pentagon leaders have warned that adversaries will seek to take advantage of any weakness, real or perceived, in the U.S.’s focus or military strength because of the pandemic. Since the outbreak started, North Korea has launched short-range ballistic missiles in defiance of international sanctions, while Iranian proxies have staged attacks on bases in Iraq where the U.S. has troops.
Such threats are also why some things won’t change unless the outbreak in the military gets far worse.
Berger, the Marine commandant, signaled as much when he was asked about the wisdom of large-scale formations at rifle ranges and training exercises that are continuing. “The Marine Corps is unique,” he said Thursday. “We are mandated by law to be the nation’s most ready force, and that’s what I think you expect us to be.”
But epidemiologists have warned countries against an uncoordinated response to the pandemic, saying strong measures in one area can be undermined by weaker responses elsewhere. Nations like Italy and Iran that have reacted slowly, or in a haphazard fashion, have had some of the highest infection and death rates.
While the Pentagon isn’t a nation-state, it operates like one. In addition to 1.3 million active-duty service members, the military runs fleets of planes and ships, operates grocery stores, staffs recruitment centers in strip malls and functions as the chief employer in many communities.
For now, the Pentagon is sticking with its position that local commanders are best-suited to make the right decisions, and warning that disruptions from the virus could last for months.
“I trust upon our commanders and our senior enlisted personnel to do the right thing particular to your unit, to your situation, to your mission,” Esper said during a virtual town hall on Tuesday. “It’s up to the commanders and senior NCOs to make the right calls relevant to their situation to ensure that we protect our people while at the same time maintaining mission readiness.”
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.