Hagel defends Ebola mission in Fort Campbell visit
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel offered a forceful defense of the military mission in West Africa on Monday, saying the first-of-its-kind operation to help contain the Ebola virus is vital to America’s national interest.
Speaking here to a group of soldiers getting ready to deploy to Liberia, Hagel acknowledged that some of those infantrymen and combat support troops might have some uncertainty about the mission.
“I know the question that is obvious is ‘What is our military doing involved in a mission like Ebola?’ And it is a legitimate question,” Hagel said during a town-hall style meeting with more than 100 soldiers.
“Pandemic diseases are a threat to this country, they are a threat to the world … . It is in our interest — No. 1 — to do everything we can to assist and contain Ebola to ensure it doesn’t get to the United States,” he said.
“We have special capacities in DoD to help them do this. We’re not caregivers — that is somebody else’s deal. But nobody else is as well organized, well structured, and has the capacity to do these things, in the world,” he said.
Hagel told soldiers that the U.S. mission there is already showing signs of success and that “there are some positive trend lines with Ebola in West Africa. The rate of new infections in Liberia is leveling off, but it continues to climb in several other countries, health officials say.
About 2,200 U.S. troops are deployed to West Africa, and that will likely rise to nearly 3,000 in December. Military officials say troops are not having direct contact with patients infected with the Ebola virus, but are providing large-scale logistical support for the civilian-run health system.
The scope of the U.S. mission was scaled back last week when Army officials dialed back the total number of troops planned to deploy from 4,000 down to about 3,000.
During his visit, Hagel was briefed on the safety precautions soldiers will take to ensure they do not contract the deadly virus. The Army has drawn up a unique, four-tiered strategy for protecting soldiers depending on their surrounding or jobs.
- Level Zero is for soldiers who are safely inside a military facility and having no contact with any potentially infected civilians. Those soldiers have personal protective gear accessible but do not have to wear it.
- Level One is for soldiers who might leave their post on a mission that does not involve any direct contact with potentially infected civilians. Those soldiers will wear a white hooded tyrex suit over their military gear as well as goggles and a surgical mask over their face.
- Level Two is for soldiers who might be coming into contact with potentially infected civilians, for example during a crowd-control operation. Those soldiers will wear a hooded suit along with a respirator over their head and face.
- Level Three is for health care workers and current policy states that all soldiers will be restricted from high-risk activities requiring Level Three protection. Nevertheless, the deploying soldiers are being trained to use that equipment in case of an emergency. Level Three protection includes a full-body suit with a powered air purifier and respirator. That equipment is similar to the Army’s standard gear for chemical, biological and nuclear hazards.
Army medical troops will be talking to each soldier several times a day to take their temperature and ask a series of questions about possible symptoms, like muscle soreness, nausea or diarrhea. Other new health precautions include giving all troops a vaccine for yellow fever and typhoid and providing daily medicine to prevent malaria, all measures that were not required for troops who deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.
Many of the soldiers deploying to West Africa are combat veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan from the storied 101st Airborne Division based here at Fort Campbell. A top general here said that experience will help them in West Africa.
“The same things that got these soldiers through their fights in Afghanistan and Iraq are going to be the exact same characteristics and attributes that get them through this particular deployment to West Africa. And that is individual discipline, adherence to standards, adherence to the orders from your leadership and holding yourself accountable to those standards,” Brig. Gen. Mark Stammer, a deputy commanding general for the 101st Airborne Division, told reporters on Monday during Hagel’s visit.
Several soldiers who spoke to reporters said they felt well trained for the upcoming mission.
It will probably be less stressful than a traditional combat deployment, said Sgt. Matthew Bartlett, a radio and communications repairman.
“There’s no one shooting at us,” said Bartlett, who has deployed to Iraq twice and to Afghanistan once.
Pvt. Matthew Kippes, an Army cook, said he doesn’t even view Ebola as the primary threat to his health.
“It’s kind of like, I was worried about Ebola, but then I didn’t really know much about malaria. But I think malaria is more the concern over in Africa. But if you take the medication and follow all the safety precautions, we’ll be fine,” Kippes said in an interview.
“I wouldn’t say I’m worried. But this is my first deployment so I’m not sure what to expect. It’s kind of like, ‘What am I going to be doing? What am I going to be seeing?’ stuff like that. I’m a cook so I’m probably not going to be out and around. I’ll probably be in a containerized kitchen,” Kippes said.
Deployments to West Africa have created a unique anxiety among Army families. Concern from spouses was a primary reason the Army decided to impose a 21-day quarantine on redeploying soldiers despite civilian health professionals saying that is not necessary.
Hagel met with a group of spouses during his visit to Fort Campbell and they voiced an array of concerns, Hagel said.
“One of the spouses said to me that … when her husband came home that night and announced that he was most likely going to West Africa to deal with the Ebola problem, he was concerned and she was very concerned.”
“And later on, after the training, he came home and said I’m confident that I’m going to be OK. In fact, he said to her, ‘I think this may be the healthiest deployment I’ve ever had anywhere.'”
Source: Army Times
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