The Pentagon, headquarters of the US Department of Defense, Arlington, VA (credit Wikipedia)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced Friday that 1,110 active duty service members will support five Federal Emergency Management Agency vaccinations centers. The troops will assist with COVID vaccinations later in the month. Each team will include service members from across the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, according to Pentagon officials. The Defense Department is working closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the State Department to provide support in dealing with the coronavirus outbreak, according to the DOD.
An inoculation team member injects the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine into a firefighter at Fort Knox, Kentucky, Feb. 5, 2021.
The teams will include medical and support personnel. Each team will be composed of: 15 service members for command and control; 80 for administering vaccinations; 15 registered nurses; 57 clinical staff; and 55 general purpose personnel. FEMA will determine which site each team supports, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said.
COVID-19 Masks Made Mandatory on All Military Installations
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III Thursday signed a memo that, effective immediately, directs all individuals on military installations and to wear masks in accordance with the most current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, the Department of Defense announced. The memo also directs all individuals performing official duties on behalf of the Department from any location other than the individual’s home, including outdoor shared spaces, to wear masks. The new directive means masks have to be on even when outside or socially distanced.
The military departments and combatant commands have reported a total of 138,763 cases of COVID among military personnel as of Jan. 28, 2021, according to Joint Staff Surgeon Air Force Brigadier General Paul Friedrichs, adding that the number is up from 137,000 on last Wednesday.
