The Pentagon is pushing back hard against claims by Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill who say the Defense Department has mishandled the coronavirus outbreak in the ranks and put concerns over military readiness ahead of the health of service members and their families.
The global pandemic has posed a particular problem for the U.S. military, which has personnel over every continent, sailors and Marines in every sea, a massive Washington workforce and health care network and a community of private-sector contractors and suppliers all disrupted by the virus outbreak.
On Monday, 10 Democratic senators wrote Defense Secretary Mark Esper a scathing eight-page letter outlining their concerns that senior U.S. military leaders has not issued clear guidance to each branch of the military with precautionary measures to protect against the spread of the virus.
The Pentagon’s response to the virus, the letter charged, had been “disjointed and slow,” marred by repeated failures to communicate policy clearly.
As of Tuesday, 6,648 active duty troops, civilian service members, defense contractors and military family members have tested positive for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus. The bulk of confirmed cases are among active-duty service members, 4,265 of whom have tested positive.
A total of 27 military personnel have died from the virus — two active duty troops, 14 civilian service members, seven defense contractors and four dependents.
But in a lengthy rebuttal provided to The Washington Times, Chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman on Tuesday said the letter “does not even remotely accurately reflect our record of action against the coronavirus and the great lengths we have gone to protect our people.”
The lawmakers argued that a lack of guidance has caused confusion among commanders who have been granted permission to take precautionary measures at the local level.
“Although local commanders know their units and operating environments better than anyone in the Pentagon, they are not public health experts,” the lawmakers wrote.
The letter was signed by Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts; Mazie Hirono of Hawaii; Kamala Harris of California; Patty Murray of Washington state; Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut; Jeff Merkley of Oregon; Sherrod Brown of Ohio; Ron Wyden of Oregon; Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota; and Ed Markey of Massachusetts.
They pointed to the Pentagon’s handling of the coronavirus-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt and the decision to employ 540 troops to the southern border in the middle of the pandemic.
Mr. Hoffman said Tuesday the letter “has cherry-picked false and repeatedly debunked assertions that do not reflect reality.”
Mr. Hoffman insisted the U.S. military has been able to carry out its missions to defend the country even in the face of the current stress on personnel and operations.
“Even in the face of an enemy such as COVID, the Department of Defense cannot — and will not — stand down as some have suggested,” he said.
If the Pentagon were to halt operations, Mr. Hoffman said, “we wouldn’t be able to stand up to our adversaries abroad today or prepare to confront them tomorrow.”
He noted that Mr. Esper oversees a department “responsible for nearly three million people at thousands of locations and 400 bases, in 150 countries and every U.S. state doing literally thousands of incredibly different jobs.” Issuing a one-size-fits-all policy for commanders around the globe, he said, was impossible.
“Therefore, the military practice is to provide guidance and allow commanders to interpret that guidance in accordance with their missions.”
He also noted the contributions the military is making to the fight to contain the coronavirus, to treat its victims and to find a cure.
More than 6,000 Defense Department personnel, including the National Guard, military health professionals and reservists, are involved in the fight against COVID-19, Mr. Hoffman said, and the military has deployed two hospital ships and 14 medical task forces and built 17 hospitals in 11 states as well.
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
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