Overview: The Department of Defense and COVID-19
March 31, 2020
Overview: The Department of Defense and COVID-19
The Department of Defense (DOD) is one of many U.S.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) training and
government agencies participating in the Federal
sample collection and delivery to first responders and
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-led COVID-19
hospital personnel, helping local emergency managers
national response framework. As developments unfold,
with their COVID-19 planning, and assisting with
interest has grown regarding what DOD might be able to
disinfecting of common spaces.
contribute to the U.S. government’s COVID-19 response.
The Defense Health Agency (DHA) is a Combat
On March 24, 2020, Secretary of Defense Esper stated that
DOD’s
Support Agency that enables the Army, Navy, and Air
top COVID-19 priorities are protecting the Defense
Force medical services to provide a ready medical force
Department’s people, maintaining military readiness, and
to Combatant Commands. According to DODI 3025.24,
supporting the whole-of-government interagency response.
DHA also assists federal government medical responses
With respect to whole-of-government response, below is a
by acting as an information clearinghouse between
non-exhaustive survey of some DOD capabilities that might
relevant agencies and actors.
be applied to the current situation if directed to do so.
The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) works with other
What are DOD’s roles and missions with
U.S. government departments and agencies to facilitate
respect to domestic pandemic response?
medical logistics support (e.g., the transportation of
Although DOD is a supporting agency in the current
personal protective equipment, doctors, and nurses) to
national response framework, the U.S. military has a
and between critical areas.
number of unique capabilities that might be applied to the
current circumstances, as well as sheer manpower capacity
What can DOD contribute to COVID-19
to execute key tasks in a timely fashion. The mission set
diagnostics, vaccines, and other medical
that allows DOD to contribute to whole-of-government
countermeasures?
crisis response is called Defense Support to Civil
DOD has capabilities to protect troops and military assets
Authorities (DSCA). Specific to pandemics, some roles and
from chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear
missions for various DOD components are laid out in DOD
(CBRN) threats, some of which are supporting the current
Instruction (DODI) 3025.24, DOD Public Health and
COVID-19 response. Key components within DOD that
Medical Services in Support of Civil Authorities. These
have relevant biological defense responsibilities and
include, but are not limited to the following:
initiatives include the following:
The Undersecretary of Defense (Policy) provides
Defense Labs. Military laboratories conduct research
overall coordination for DOD support to DSCA and
and development of surveillance technologies, vaccines,
interfaces with the National Security Council and other
diagnostics, and other medical countermeasures. For
agencies of government. In a health crisis, one of their
example, the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of
subordinates, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick, MD,
Homeland Defense and Global Security is responsible
and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
for the day-to-day coordination of DOD’s contribution
(WRAIR) in Silver Spring, MD, are working to develop
to the federal response.
and test potential vaccines for COVID-19. The National
Center for Medical Intelligence (NCMI) examines
Combatant Commands (COCOMs) work with other
worldwide health threats, infectious disease,
federal agencies to help plan for crises and provide
environmental health risks, biotechnology development,
additional capacity and medical support. For example,
foreign medical capabilities, and biomedical subjects.
on February 13, 2020, General Terrence
O’Shaughnessy, commander of U.S. Northern
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency is a combatant
Command (NORTHCOM), testified before the Senate
command support agency that provides science,
Armed Services Committee that NORTHCOM had at
technology, and capability development investments in
that point helped the Department of Health and Human
countering weapons of mass destruction, including
Services quarantine more than 600 individuals at
biological events. DTRA coordinated an airlift of a half
military facilities across the country, and that 11 DOD
a million COVID-19 diagnostic kits to the United States
facilities near major airports were on standby for
in mid-March.
additional support if needed.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
The National Guard. At the time of writing, elements
funds research such as advanced vaccine development
of the National Guard in 49 states, three territories, and
and medical countermeasures that are being applied to
the District of Columbia have been activated. These
the current response. Since 2017, DARPA’s Pandemic
personnel are performing missions including, but not
Prevention Platform (P3) program has been working to
limited to manning call centers, providing critical
develop a rapid response that would produce “relevant
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Overview: The Department of Defense and COVID-19
numbers of doses against any known or previously
responses, the military can transport supplies and other
unknown infectious threat within 60 days of
emergency equipment to areas in need. The military can
identification of such a threat.” As it relates to COVID-
also utilize its own command-and-control networks in
19, P3 is working to identify, develop, and synthetically
support of other agencies and actors to help them
produce antibodies that would help protect individuals
coordinate their own responses. Also, DOD personnel can
from infection and more rapidly improve the health of
train local medical staff capabilities. According to DOD
individuals who have been infected by COVID-19.
reporting (Operation United Assistance: The DOD
Response to Ebola in West Africa, January 6, 2016), all of
What are some of DOD’s
these capabilities were used in West Africa during the 2014
medical capabilities?
Ebola crisis.
DOD can deploy medical capabilities and facilities to
support a range of missions around the world. According to
The military services also have construction and
Joint Publication 3-28 Defense Support of Civil Authorities
engineering capabilities that could be used, for example, to
(DSCA), DOD can provide other capabilities to assist with
construct medical facilities. The U.S. Naval Construction
health emergencies, including but not limited to
Force (“Seabees”) is the Navy’s deployable construction
capability. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
the management of health services resources, such
consist of approximately 37,000 soldiers and civilians.
as manpower, monies, and facilities; preventive and
USACE has developed plans that allow other federal and
curative health measures; evacuation of the
local government agencies to convert hospitals and other
wounded, injured, or sick; selection of the
sites into COVID-19-appropriate medical facilities.
medically fit and disposition of the medically unfit;
blood management; medical supply, equipment,
DOD strategy and COVID-19
and maintenance thereof; combat and operational
The 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) articulates that
stress control; and medical, dental, veterinary,
DOD is prioritizing the development of capabilities that can
laboratory, optometry, nutrition therapy, and
help the United States militarily compete with China and
medical intelligence services.
Russia. Some observers express the view that the U.S.
military should maintain its focus on these strategic
Current examples of such capabilities include U.S. Navy
challenges. According to this view, the U.S. military’s
hospital ships USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy. Both ships
readiness to respond to actions from these and other
can provide additional capacity to stressed medical systems,
aggressors might be compromised should troops become
both within the United States and in partner countries. The
exhausted due to COVID-19 response operations. Others,
USNS Comfort has deployed from its home port of Norfolk,
such as New York Governor Cuomo, contend that
VA, to New York City, while the USNS Mercy is deploying
combating the effects of the COVID-19 virus is equivalent
from San Diego to Los Angeles.
to a “war” and DOD must therefore robustly participate in
pandemic management and mitigation efforts.
DOD also has a number of field hospitals that can be
rapidly deployed in the event of the crisis. While those
Another concern centers around balancing the need to
hospitals have primarily been used to support global
maintain readiness versus the health of the force overall.
expeditionary operations over the past two decades, on
DOD officials, including Secretary Esper, have stressed the
March 24, 2020, the U.S. Army announced it had issued
need for U.S. troops to be able to respond to global crises.
deployment orders to the 531st Hospital from Fort
The recent outbreak of COVID-19 on the U.S.S. Theodore
Campbell, KY; the 627th Hospital from Fort Carson, CO;
Roosevelt has prompted some, including its commanding
and the 9th Hospital from Fort Hood, TX, to deploy to New
officer, to argue that current measures to maintain readiness
York and Washington state.
are exposing U.S. military forces to COVID-19. While the
2014 Quadrennial Defense Review—DOD’s leading
Deploying these capabilities could create some tradeoffs to
strategy document prior to the 2018 NDS—discusses
be managed. Most DOD field hospitals are staffed by
DSCA and biological incident responses as a key mission
military reservists who work in the civilian health care field
set, the publicly available 2018 NDS summary does not
when not activated. Some experts express concern that
include DSCA or pandemics.
activating and fielding these capabilities could deprive
other civilian health care facilities of doctors, nurses, and a
wide range of other medical professionals. The U.S. Army
Further Reading
appears to be managing this risk by recruiting retired
CRS Report RL30802, Reserve Component Personnel
military medical professionals not currently providing
Issues: Questions and Answers, by Lawrence Kapp and
medical services to their local communities to join the
Barbara Salazar Torreon
pandemic response.
What are some of DOD’s relevant
CRS Insight IN11273, COVID-19: The Basics of Domestic
Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief
Defense Response, coordinated by Michael J. Vassalotti
(HA/DR) capabilities?
U.S. military forces frequently deploy around the globe to
Kathleen J. McInnis, Coordinator, Specialist in
provide assistance in the event of national disasters and
International Security
emergencies. Specific to U.S. government pandemic
IF11480
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Overview: The Department of Defense and COVID-19
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