The coronavirus pandemic has scrambled US military operations, halted troop movements and is cutting short major exercises. US troops have also been supporting civilian authorities and in some cases working alongside local health workers. What has become clear is that the military will in the future have to take into account public-health issues when assessing threats, according to Adm. James Foggo, the commander of US naval forces in Europe and Africa. Foggo oversaw NATO exercise Trident Juncture, which took place in and around Norway in late 2018. The exercise, the first of its kind in decades, included some 50,000 personnel, tens of thousands of vehicles, and dozens of ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, the first US carrier to sail above the Arctic Circle since the 1990s.

 

 

U.S. Navy Capt. David Blazes, Military Tropical Medicine Course program director, shows a photo of Ebola response training to medical professionals from U.S., French and Djiboutian armed forces. The course enabled militaries around the Horn of Africa to share diagnostic and treatment practices for deadly and common diseases on the continent. (U.S. Army Africa photo by Staff Sgt. Victoria Sneed)

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