US Air National Guard/Staff Sgt. Leon Bussey
- The US military has halted most of the movement of its personnel in response to the spread of the coronavirus.
- But parts of the military have to keep moving as part of the US government's response to that pandemic.
- That includes the members of the mobility mission, who are moving supplies, equipment, and patients around the world.
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A 60-day stop-movement order from the Pentagon in late March, meant to help stem the spread of the coronavirus, threw the lives of many US military personnel into uncertainty, as it kept them from leaving for or returning from deployment or from traveling to new duty stations.
But the military remains a vital part of the US government's response to the pandemic, of which its mobility element, the air component in particular, has been a major part.
"There are critical missions that cannot stop," Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, the service's top uniformed officer, said last week. "I don't believe that we're going to get any relief, nor should we expect any relief, on the global mobility [mission]."
Transportation Command, which manages that mobility mission, has seen "a reduction in movements" as a result of that order, Army Gen. Stephen Lyons, head of that command, told reporters on March 31. "But we are also seeing a necessity to continue to operate for mission-essential tasks and operations."
Transportation Command is focused on protecting the force against the outbreak, maintaining mission readiness, and remaining ready to support the FEMA and other interagency efforts to counter the outbreak, Lyons said.
Operations by Air Mobility Command, Transcom's air component, are "consistent" with the those priorities, Lt. Gen. Jon Thomas, AMC's deputy commander, told reporters on April 3.
Below, you can see what Transcom and AMC are doing to safeguard their aircrews as they carry out that response.
The Air Force has given local commanders authority to act to stay ahead of the threat and is encouraging airmen to follow CDC guidelines, Thomas said.
"We've implemented staggered shifts, exercised telework options, and employed Health Protection Condition Charlie measures at all our installations to promote physical distancing" to help limit the spread of the coronavirus, Thomas said.
To maintain operational capability, Thomas said, "we're doing things like medical screening, temperature checks, and other measures for aircrew and passengers transiting areas of COVID-19 risk."
"As necessary, for certain locations, we're also taking measures to ensure that AMC forces that are moving globally from one location to another do not pose undue risk for the host units as we transit those locations," Thomas told reporters at the Pentagon.
"Obviously when you're in the cockpit, there's no way to get 6 foot apart," Lyons said when asked about social distancing in aircraft. "The way that we're managing our flight crews is unique in many ways, and we're trying to create an isolated system of systems, if you would, even in motion."
"Where we billet them is controlled. Where they eat from, their food is delivered. So we're trying to create a very concerted cocoon, if you would, over our entire flight crew apparatus," Lyons told reporters at the Pentagon.
"And knock on wood, that seems to be working to date. It allows us to continue mission and protect the force at the same time," Lyons said. But "you can't telework and fly a plane," he added, "so there are exceptions that we're working through."
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
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- Videos show emotional send-off sailors gave aircraft carrier captain fired after warning of coronavirus outbreak
- The US Army warned 2 months ago that the coronavirus could kill as many as 150,000 Americans
SEE ALSO: With coronavirus spreading, the US military is dealing with a social-distancing problem
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