U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia - Update: Troop presence plans being scaled back

[Pathfinder]

Military Response Begins as Troops, Equipment Reach Liberia

By Cheryl Pellerin
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2014 ? The increased U.S. assistance President Barack Obama announced this week has begun to arrive in Liberia, one of the West African countries hardest-hit by the deadly Ebola virus disease outbreak, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said here today.
<!-- NEWS STORY IMAGE --><TABLE style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 5px 0px" border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=100 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD class=captions vAlign=top><TABLE border=2 cellSpacing=4 borderColor=#000000 cellPadding=4 width="100%" bgColor=#fffff5 align=right alt="photo"><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px" vAlign=top>
The first shipment of the ramped-up military response to Ebola arrives in Liberia, Sept. 18, 2014. The cargo included a heavy-duty forklift, a drill set and generator, and a team of seven military personnel, including engineers and airfield specialists. The forklift will be used to offload incoming supplies. State Department photo
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.



</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- /NEWS STORY IMAGE -->

Army Maj. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, the U.S. Army Africa commander who will lead the U.S. military's response dubbed Operation United Assistance is now in Liberia, Kirby said.

?He arrived in Monrovia two days ago with a 12-person assessment team [that] is conducting on-the-ground planning and site surveys to construct Ebola treatment units in Liberia,? the admiral told reporters at a news conference.

At the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta on Sept. 16, Obama announced that U.S. Africa Command would set up a joint force command headquarters in the Liberian capital to support U.S. military activities and to help in coordinating expanded U.S. and international relief efforts to fight the Ebola outbreak -- the worst in history.

Kirby said C-17 aircraft carrying military handling equipment arrived in Monrovia yesterday.

Whole-of-government effort

?The aircraft offloaded a heavy-duty forklift, a generator and a crew of seven military personnel to quickly assess the capacity and payload of the runways at Roberts International Airport,? he said, adding that the equipment would help to provide general support for the U.S. whole-of-government response going forward.

?We anticipate that two C-17s will arrive in Liberia this weekend with approximately 45 additional U.S. military personnel,? the admiral said, ?and they will begin work establishing the command headquarters of General Williams.?

Kirby said the assessment team also will evaluate what other deployed U.S. military personnel will need in terms of support infrastructure to sustain operations for up to six months, ?or however long U.S. military assistance is required? in West Africa.

Williams and U.S. Ambassador to Liberia Deborah Malac have met with Liberian officials, including President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, to discuss the increased U.S. response to the Ebola crisis. They also have toured several sites where more Ebola treatment units will be built, Kirby said.

?Currently, program funds approved for the DoD Ebola response are around $30 million,? the admiral explained, adding that this includes previously announced efforts such as a 25-bed mobile hospital for ill African health care workers, supplies and lab training, diagnostic equipment, and personal protective equipment.

Request to reprogram funds

So far, DoD has requested to reprogram two rounds of $500 million each in fiscal year 2014 overseas contingency funds to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to fight Ebola, Kirby said, noting that DoD is prepared to devote up to $1 billion to its Ebola response efforts.

?We?re still working through all the planning processes to determine future requirements and resources,? he told reporters, ?and we expect additional personnel and materials to continue flowing to the affected area over the next several weeks and months.?

In response to questions, Kirby said there ?is no intention right now that [deployed troops] will interact with patients or be in areas where they would necessarily come into contact with patients.?

He added, ?They're not doctors. They're not nurses. They're not trained for that and not equipped for that. That's not part of the mission. They will be kept in locations where they can do their jobs without coming into contact with patients.?

The troops will be acting in support of health care workers who are the experts at treating patients, he explained.

?A key component of moving our troops anywhere in any situation is to make sure that we adequately prepare them, train them, and equip them for their own personal protection,? he explained.

Clear-eyed about the risk

Kirby said the department is clear-eyed about the risk it?s incurring in standing up the mission in Liberia with a deadly disease.

?The disease itself is the threat. We understand that,? he said. ?We get paid to deal in risk and to manage that and to mitigate it the best we can.

It's difficult in any military operation to eliminate it, and the men and women who sign up and serve in the military understand that when they do.?

Operation United Assistance is not led by the military, Kirby said, noting that in this case, DoD is supporting the U.S. Agency for International Development, the State Department and the Liberian government.?We have unique capabilities,? the admiral said. ?We try to stay as ready and prepared across those capabilities as we can. And if there should be a need in the future to change the mission, to modify it somewhat, then we'll have that discussion. But there's no discussion about that right now.?

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=123217

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Re: Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Odierno: Ebola largest medical emergency since plague

September 22, 2014
By Lisa Ferdinando

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Sept. 22, 2014) -- The Ebola outbreak is the largest medical emergency since the plague, and the Army is assessing how to respond to this "dire situation," said the Army's top general.

"It is a very bad situation," Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Ray Odierno said today, at Google's office in Washington, D.C., during his first Google hangout, a virtual town hall that lasted more than an hour.

"We just got a team on the ground over there doing an assessment of what is needed," he said. "It is a medical emergency of proportions we haven't seen since the plague centuries ago."
...
Odierno said the Army is looking at sending logistics personnel and hospitals, with perhaps hospital staff and aviation support later.

"I think the majority, initially, of people going over will be logistics personnel that will be separated from where the disease is, in order to assist in providing support," he said.
...
http://www.army.mil/article/134178/Odierno__Ebola_largest_medical_emergency_since_plague/

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

U.S. Troops Battling Ebola Get Off to Slow Start in Africa
...
By Drew Hinshaw in Robertsville, Liberia, and
Betsy McKay in Atlanta
Updated Sept. 28, 2014 8:06 p.m. ET
...
On Saturday, a handful of troops from the Navy's 133rd Mobile Construction Battalion led a bulldozer through thigh-high grass outside Liberia's main airport, bottles of hand sanitizer dangling from their belt loops.

They had been digging a parking lot in the East African nation of Djibouti this month when they received a call to build the first of a dozen or more tent hospitals the U.S intends to construct in this region. The soldiers started by giving the land a downward slope for water runoff?"to keep out any unwanted reptiles," said Petty Officer Second Class Justin Holsinger.

While this team levels the earth, superiors hash out the still-uncertain details of the American intervention here.
...
Other help is beginning to arrive. On Sunday morning, a privately contracted 747 cargo plane landed with 2,016 rolls of plastic sheeting from the U.S. government, one of the materials needed to build an Ebola clinic.

It would take hours to unload the plane, the crew said. Liberia's airport, built in 1942, had just three small forklifts. U.S. Air Force personnel will also have to repair the runway, or for the time being, just paint it so planes don't land on parts in disrepair.

"Some companies would rather go to Afghanistan than come here," said the plane's loadmaster, Felix Curtis.

In the cockpit, a nervous first officer was wearing surgical gloves, a medical mask on his seat. He shared a pen with a Liberian, then darted to the bathroom to wash his hands: "Am I going to be OK?" he asked.

The files on most of Liberia's Ebola cases are stored in three-ring binders on a shelf in an abandoned World War II-era chimpanzee testing lab, filled with bats. That is where the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases conducts blood tests for Ebola. A small three-ring binder holds all the case files from April 15 to Aug. 12. A binder twice that size holds the files from just five days in late September.
...
http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s-troops-battling-ebola-get-off-to-slow-start-in-africa-1411948064

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Hagel Authorizes 700 Soldiers for Liberia Deployment

By Cheryl Pellerin
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2014 ? Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has authorized the deployment of 700 soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division headquarters element to Liberia to help with the Ebola epidemic there, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said here yesterday.
<!-- NEWS STORY IMAGE --><TABLE style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 5px 0px" border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=100 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD class=captions vAlign=top><TABLE border=2 cellSpacing=4 borderColor=#000000 cellPadding=4 width="100%" bgColor=#fffff5 align=right alt="photo"><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px" vAlign=top>
Health care workers put on personal protective equipment before going into the hot zone at Island Clinic in Monrovia, Liberia, on Sept. 22, 2014. U.S. Agency for International Development photo by Morgana Wingard
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- /NEWS STORY IMAGE -->

The soldiers will deploy in late October, Kirby told reporters during a briefing, and they will become the headquarter staff for the joint forces command, led by Army Maj. Gen. Gary J. Volesky.

?Gen. Volesky and his staff will assume overall command of the effort, and with his arrival, [Army] Maj. Gen. [Darryl A.] Williams will be able to return to his normal duties as the Army component commander for Africa command,? Kirby said.

Construction troops

The Army will deploy another 700 soldiers from engineering units throughout the United States to supervise the construction of Ebola treatment units, conduct site surveys and provide engineering expertise, the admiral said, in an area with a range of infrastructure repair needs.

Last week, 15 construction-specialty sailors, or Seabees, from the Naval Mobile Construction Batallion-133, Task Group 68.7 arrived in Monrovia to provide engineering support to Operation United Assistance, conducting site surveys for future hospitals, supply storage and training facilities for health care workers fighting the Ebola outbreak.

The deployments are part of a whole-of-government response to the Ebola outbreak, said Kirby, noting that the U.S. military is contributing its unique capabilities in support of the lead U.S. agency -- the U.S. Agency for International Development -- and other interagency partners.

?This will not be an overnight process but we are already making significant progress,? the admiral said.

About 195 Defense Department personnel are now on the ground in West Africa and over the weekend the equipment for a 25-bed hospital for health care workers and two mobile labs arrived in Monrovia.

?We expect the hospital to be operational about the middle of October,? Kirby said, adding that U.S. military personnel are not and will not be providing direct care to Ebola patients.

Force protection

Kirby said all troops deploying to Liberia are being trained on personal protective equipment and about Ebola virus disease.

?Secretary Hagel has no higher priority than force protection,? the admiral said. ?The threat down there is the disease ? so just like any other threat, we take it very, very seriously and we'll make sure they've got the protection they need.?

Also yesterday, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, released a statement on the military response to the Ebola outbreak

"Today we have about 150 men and women from the Department of Defense in West Africa responding to the Ebola outbreak. They are the advance elements of our military force that will total roughly 3,000 Americans confronting a health crisis that has significant humanitarian, economic, political and security dimensions,? he said.

Dempsey said DoD is supporting other U.S. government and international relief efforts by leveraging unique U.S. military capabilities -- specifically, establishing command-and-control nodes, logistics hubs, training for health care workers, and providing engineering support.

?The protection of our men and women is my priority as we seek to help those in Africa and work together to stem the tide of this crisis,? Dempsey said, adding, as Hagel did, that all deploying personnel receive training on the use of protective equipment and training on Ebola and malaria prevention and other critical procedures.

?I am proud of the dedication and skills of these men and women,? the chairman said in his statement, ?and confident in their ability to make a difference.?(Follow Cheryl Pellerin on Twitter: @PellerinDoDNews)

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=123305

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

DoD May Deploy up to 4,000 Troops to Combat Ebola

By Jim Garamone
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

FORT MEADE, Md., Oct. 3, 2014 ? The Defense Department could deploy up to 4,000 service members to Liberia as part of Operation United Assistance against Ebola, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby told reporters at the Pentagon today.
<!-- NEWS STORY IMAGE --><TABLE style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 5px 0px" border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=100 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD class=captions vAlign=top><TABLE border=2 cellSpacing=4 borderColor=#000000 cellPadding=4 width="100%" bgColor=#fffff5 align=right alt="photo"><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px" vAlign=top>
Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby describes the latest Defense Department efforts to help contain the Ebola crisis during a press briefing at the Pentagon, Oct. 3, 2014 DoD photo by Glenn Fawcett
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- /NEWS STORY IMAGE -->

There are 205 U.S. service members in Liberia today with another 26 in neighboring Senegal. All service members are supporting the lead federal agency for American participation in the crisis -- the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ?has approved the potential deployment of up to 4,000 [service members],? Kirby said. ?But I want to make one thing real clear, that that?s a potential deployment. That doesn?t mean it is going to get to that number.?

Testing labs operational

Operations are moving forward in Liberia. ?Over the last 36 hours, two Ebola testing laboratories manned by personnel from the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center are now fully operational,? Kirby said. The labs can process about 100 samples each day.

U.S. personnel are also on track for completing a hospital for infected medical personnel on Oct. 18. ?Construction of two treatment centers for other Ebola victims will begin today and should be completed by the end of the month,? the admiral said.

Kirby forecast a significant increase in the operations tempo in Liberia and with it an increase in troops.

Troop deployments

The U.S. Army announced the units that will deploy to the region beginning in mid-month and running through November. With the previously announced unit deployments, this will bring the total Army commitment to about 3,200 soldiers.

More than 1,800 Fort Campbell, Kentucky-based soldiers will arrive in Liberia sometime late this month. Other soldiers will deploy from the 101st Sustainment Brigade, the 86th Combat Support Hospital of the 44th Medical Brigade, and a Military Police company from the 16th Military Police Brigade.

These units will provide medical and logistic support, as well as site security, to the Joint Task Force. Soldiers will deploy from other bases as well including, Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Carson, Colorado; Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Stewart, Georgia; Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Eustis, Virginia and Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.

U.S. government response to Ebola threat

?As we continue our support to the broader U.S. government response to the Ebola crisis, I want to emphasize that our operations remain focused on four lines of effort: command and control, logistics support, training, and engineering support,? Kirby said.

Troops going to the region will be monitored before, during and after deployment, Kirby said.

?Before they go, they are ? especially going to get trained on Ebola and what the disease is like, what it means, what it does,? Kirby said.

?Because, as I said, the troops that we?re sending down there are not health care professionals. They are not doctors, nurses, corpsmen. They are logisticians and engineers.?

Health experts will explain the best way to protect themselves from the disease. They will also explain the symptoms of Ebola.

?While the troops are there, they?re going to be constantly monitored on a regular, frequent basis,? Kirby said.(Follow Jim Garamone on Twitter: @garamoneDoDNews)

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=123336

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Rodriguez Pledges Every Effort to Protect Military From Ebola

By Nick Simeone
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2014 ? Everything possible will be done to mitigate risks of exposure to Ebola by U.S. military personnel deployed to Liberia to contain the epidemic, the commander of U.S. Africa Command said today.
<!-- NEWS STORY IMAGE --><TABLE style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 5px 0px" border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=100 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD class=captions vAlign=top><TABLE border=2 cellSpacing=4 borderColor=#000000 cellPadding=4 width="100%" bgColor=#fffff5 align=right alt="photo"><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px" vAlign=top>
Army Gen. David M. Rodriguez, commander of U.S. Africa Command, describes the Defense Department's response to Ebola during a news conference at the Pentagon, Oct. 7, 2014. DoD photo by Air Force Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- /NEWS STORY IMAGE -->

There are no plans for the U.S. military to provide direct care to Ebola patients, Army Gen. David M. Rodriguez told reporters at the Pentagon. Personnel from the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center will, however test for Ebola at mobile labs from samples collected from area clinics and health care providers.

Trained to guard against exposure

Rodriguez said the three or four people who will staff each lab will be trained to the highest level and will be prepared to guard against exposure.

?They can operate in a nuclear, biological and chemical environment,? he noted. ?They are specifically trained to do that, and that's their primary skill set.?

Pressed by reporters to explain the risks to Americans operating the mobile labs, Rodriguez strongly discounted the likelihood of contamination. ?It?s a very, very high standard that these people have operated in all their lives, and this is their primary skill,? he emphasized. ?This is not just medical guys trained to do this.?

National security priority

Seven such labs are expected to be set up in Liberia for Ebola testing. The U.S. military presence in the West African nation is expected to grow to up to 4,000, with personnel establishing a hospital facility and providing logistics and engineering support, as well as training of up to 500 health care workers per week to help treat patients and prevent the spread of the virus, which President Barack Obama yesterday called a national security priority.

Seventeen Ebola treatment facilities are expected to be set up in Liberia by November, Rodriguez said, acknowledging that the pace of operations has been challenging. ?Their whole nation is overwhelmed,? the general said. ?Their health facilities are overwhelmed. That?s all broken down, so we have to bring in everything at the same time.?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called the Ebola outbreak in West Africa the largest in history, with more than 3,400 deaths reported. Nearly that number of cases alone has been reported in Liberia, where the disease continues to spread.

Ensuring safety of U.S. personnel

About 240 Defense Department personnel are currently in the Liberian capital of Monrovia, and another 108 are in nearby Senegal in support of U.S government efforts to stop the spread of the virus. More personnel are expected to flow into the region in the coming days, and Rodriguez said everything will be done to ensure their safety.

?By providing pre-deployment training, adhering to strict medical protocols while deployed and carrying out carefully planned reintegration measures based on risk and exposure,? the general told reporters, ?I am confident that we can ensure our service members? safety and the safety of their families and the American people.?Rodriguez said the U.S. military could be deployed to Liberia in significant numbers for up to a year to support efforts led by the U.S. Agency for International Development to stop the spread of the virus.

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=123356

 

[MHSC]

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

I find it discouraging that they are taking so long to fully deploy. If this were a military threat they would have all been there in less than 24 hrs. I realize they need training, but they have had more than enough time for that. I feel like we are dragging our feet, this is another example of not respecting the threat that ebola is.

 

[Dani]

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

I find it discouraging that they are taking so long to fully deploy. If this were a military threat they would have all been there in less than 24 hrs. I realize they need training, but they have had more than enough time for that. I feel like we are dragging our feet, this is another example of not respecting the threat that ebola is.

I think the difference is that in a war, there's less negotiating with the local government. There was a piece on NPR that discussed that a bit yesterday. They can't just go in and do what they want without getting approval from a myriad of different governmental offices, and the spokesperson pointed to that specifically as contributing to the delay.

 

[Ray]

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

From what's been reported, Liberia lacks very basic infrastructure. Hydroelectric dam destroyed during civil war. Mostly power from generators. Water supply inadequate.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/13/travel/liberia-from-warzone-holiday-paradise/

World Bank has annual reports on funding of infrastructure: roads, airport, port repairs and upgrades, but it was happening slowly.

Must be hard to get things done in that environment. I've read work on the hospital/tent? for infected hcw is taking longer than expected.

 

[Sollydog]

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

I would assume that initially they have to bring every single thing they need to be completely self sufficient - shelter, sanitation, water, food, fuel, communications, power, transportation, tools, etc. In Monrovia it is mud season and that certainly hampers things.

I think of it as being like an enormous freight train, that moves very slowly at first but then gets up to speed and hauls a huge amount quickly.

May they all be blessed with an abundance of energy and endurance.

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Special Marine Task Force Deploying to Liberia

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2014 ? A special Marine expeditionary unit based in Spain is deploying to Liberia, joining hundreds of other U.S. troops in support of efforts to contain the spread of Ebola, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Adm. John Kirby said today.

?I can announce today that 100 personnel from the Special Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response-Africa are deploying from Moron, Spain, to Dakar, Senegal, with onward movement to Monrovia,? he said.

The Marine task force will provide interim re-supply and transportation support until Army units arrive later this month to assume that longer term mission, Kirby said. As many as 4,000 U.S. military personnel could be deployed to Liberia in support of Operation United Assistance.

First Stop Senegal

?These personnel will arrive in Senegal tonight and in Liberia tomorrow,? Kirby said, ?and their footprint includes four MV-22 Ospreys, 2 KC-130 Hercules aircraft.?

The aircraft will help transport supplies and troops to and from a staging area in Senegal and to more remote areas.

The admiral noted one of the benefits of the Osprey is ?it can go where lots of other aircraft can?t go.?

?One of the challenges that we?re having is some of the sites at which we are trying to set up these emergency treatment units are in pretty remote locations,? Kirby said, ?where there are not only no roads, but there?s no other way to get to them sometimes than either on foot, or in this case, from the air.?

Conditions in Liberia

Kirby said the need for airlift capability speaks to the ?very austere? environment where U.S personnel are required to operate.

?Troops that are trying to build these units and get the ground level are really set back every day, hours and hours every day, by rainfall,? Kirby said. ?That doesn?t drain off, necessarily, very quickly, either.?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called the Ebola outbreak in West Africa the largest in history, with more than 3,400 deaths reported. Nearly that number of cases alone has been reported in Liberia, where the disease continues to spread.

President Barack Obama directed the Army to establish a Joint Force Headquarters in Liberia to coordinate support for what is a comprehensive U.S. and international effort to stop the Ebola epidemic in the region.(Follow Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone Marshall on TwitterMarshallDoDNews)

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=123369

 

[Gemineye]

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

My thoughts and prayers will be with these troops. They are not volunteers and even though they will not be providing direct patient care, the risk of anyone of them contracting Ebola is not zero. That NBC cameraman was not involved in direct patient care either.

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Interesting pic at the link at the actual lab:

Ebola Outbreak: Dr. Joseph Fair Speaks About His Work on the Ground

http://www.afhsc.mil/documents/pubs/documents/AFHSC Surveillance Bulletin v01_n10.pdf

 

[Shiloh]

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Source: http://www.military.com/daily-news/...-liberia-will-receive-ebola-hazmat-suits.html
Soldiers Deploying to Liberia will Receive Ebola Hazmat Suits
Military.com Oct 21, 2014 | by Amy Bushatz

Fort Campbell, Ky. -- Soldiers deploying to Liberia with the 101st Airborne Division to fight the Ebola virus will be issued Tyvek hazmat suits once they arrive in country, division officials here said Tuesday.

Widely circulated media reports based on an Oct. 7 statement from Gen. David Rodriguez, U.S. Africa commander, have said soldiers would only receive items such as gloves and masks. But officials here said that just because all personal protective equipment (PPE) isn't being issued before deployment doesn't mean troops won't have them when they are needed.

"They are deploying with their protective mask, their gloves and their over-boots," said Col. Brian DeSantis, a 101st division spokesman who will be among those deploying to Liberia. "And once they get to Liberia they will receive their Tyvek suits and their latex gloves. So they're not deploying specifically with, let's call it, the off the shelf [personal protective equipment], they will receive that in theater."...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Source: http://www.theleafchronicle.com/sto...back-liberia-mission-misinformation/17691085/

101st hits back at Liberia mission misinformation
Philip Grey, The Leaf-Chronicle 7:26 p.m. CDT October 21, 2014

The 101st Airborne responds sharply to reports that troops are being sent to Liberia without protective gear and that Ebola-infected soldiers won't be treated in the U.S.

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. ? Recent reports that troops will lack protective equipment in Liberia, that they received insufficient training and that troops stricken with Ebola will be treated in Africa and not returned stateside are wrong, according to 101st Airborne Division officials.

On Tuesday morning, division surgeon Lt. Col. Christopher Warner and division spokesman Lt. Col. Brian DeSantis spoke to The Leaf-Chronicle about those topics and others as they prepared to depart for Liberia to join other division troops already on the ground.

The reports, which are currently roiling the blogosphere and some media outlets, are based on incomplete information, said DeSantis.

The stories were largely based on partial statements by Gen. David Rodriguez, Commander, United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), made during a briefing at the Pentagon on Oct. 7...

 

[kiwibird]

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Interesting pic at the link at the actual lab:

Ebola Outbreak: Dr. Joseph Fair Speaks About His Work on the Ground

http://www.afhsc.mil/documents/pubs/documents/AFHSC Surveillance Bulletin v01_n10.pdf

Do you mean about how he is wearing his face shield?

 

[zincfinger]

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Two possible reasons for that:

1) If he went to a microscope and had to flip it up for that and forgot to put it back down when returning to the hood.

2) in some environments (high relative humidity) there can be a real problem with goggles and face shields fogging up.

On of the many advantages of a hazmat suit is that you cannot do that.

In some environments a face shield is needed only for certain activities (non biohazard environment where the shield protects against chemicals etc) and keeping it up and just flipping it down when appropriate is routine and acceptable. The problem is that if someone goes back and fourth between the two environments, flipping the face shield may become an unconscious act and happen in the wrong environment. [and consider that the "photo opportunity" might well have taken place in an environment where face shield wasn't needed except for special activities (like pouring chemicals). The photos one sees are often not the "real thing".]

This sort of thing is exactly why, in critical high risk activities like doffing the PPE, it's important to be observed by someone else whose full attention is on seeing that such unconscious errors do not occur. It's also why it takes highly unusual personal characteristics to work safely in BSL-4 labs and even then, people make mistakes. One lapse of attention is one too many.

IMHO some kind of hood (where you cannot flip up the face shield) should be required as PPE for treatment of Ebola. That would also protect the neck area.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Source: http://www.defensenews.com/article/...ning-Ebola-Fight-West-Africa?odyssey=nav|head


US Army Medical Lab Joining Ebola Fight in West Africa
Oct. 23, 2014 - 04:56PM |
By JOE GOULD |

WASHINGTON ? A US Army medical laboratory designed to detect battlefield contaminants is joining the fight against Ebola in West Africa and will be deploying next week, according to an Army announcement.

The 1st Area Medical Laboratory (AML), based in Aberdeen, Maryland, will set up an unspecified number of infectious disease labs in Liberia to support Ebola screenings in West Africa.

?The 1st AML will bring state-of-the-art analyzers and experienced personnel, who will be able to enhance the identification of Ebola and other endemic diseases in an expeditious manner,? said 1st Area Medical Laboratory Commander Col. Patrick Garman...

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Army General Takes Command of Ebola Response Operation

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2014 ? Army Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, 101st Airborne Division commander, yesterday in Monrovia, Liberia assumed command of Joint Forces Command ? Operation United Assistance and the fight against Ebola in West Africa.
<!-- NEWS STORY IMAGE --><TABLE style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 5px 0px" border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=100 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD class=captions vAlign=top><TABLE border=2 cellSpacing=4 borderColor=#000000 cellPadding=4 width="100%" bgColor=#fffff5 align=right alt="photo"><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px" vAlign=top>
Maj. Gen. Gary J. Volesky, Commander of the 101st Airborne Division, and Sgt. Maj. Kirk Hines, acting Command Sgt. Maj. of the 101st in Liberia, uncase their colors during the transfer of authority ceremony and assume command of Joint Forces Command Operation United Assistance in Monrovia, Liberia, Oct 25. (U.S. Army Photo)
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- /NEWS STORY IMAGE -->

In a written statement yesterday, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby noted that, d?Just 38 days ago, Maj. Gen. Darryl Williams arrived in Liberia toform an advance detachment in his capacity as commanding general, U.S.Army Africa prior to the formal establishment of this Joint Forces Command.?

In that short period, Kirby said, U.S. service members under his leadership ?have made great advances in establishing command and control capabilities for this effort, including lines of communication over very rough terrain.?

Over 1,500 samples from patients have been tested in three labs, two of which were established earlier this month, Kirby said. These labs can now provide 24-hour turn-around results, and are capable of processing up to 100 samples from clinics and healthcare providers each day.

The 25-bed hospital in Monrovia should be fully operational in the first week of November once the construction of the supporting facilities is complete, Kirby noted. Upon completion, the hospital will be staffed by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services personnel. In addition, the construction of the first Ebola Treatment Unit at Tubmanburg, Liberia, is nearing final completion. The construction on the second ETU should finish around the beginning of November and a third soon after.

In Dakar, Senegal, DoD personnel are establishing an intermediate staging base and transport hub. This week, the M/V Vega, a contracted vessel, arrived in the region to deliver some 700 containers of
support equipment for US efforts.

In total, approximately 700 U.S. service members are now deployed to West Africa, including nearly 600 in Liberia and 100 in Senegal. Over the coming weeks, that could grow to upwards of 3,900 personnel.Kirby said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ?appreciates the dedication of these service members to help fight Ebola at its source. The Department of Defense will continue to support the whole-of-government response, led by USAID, in this effort.?

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=123496

 

[Shiloh]

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Re: U.S. Military response begins as troops, equipment reach Liberia

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...eba6a8-5b99-11e4-8264-deed989ae9a2_story.html


U.S. Ebola fighters head to Africa, but will the military and civilian effort be enough?
By Joel Achenbach and Lena H. Sun October 25 at 7:26 PM

Hundreds of Americans have flown to Liberia in the past few days. Thousands more are on the way.

This Ebola corps is a collection of doctors, nurses, scientists, soldiers, aviators, technicians, mechanics and engineers. Many are volunteers with nonprofit organizations or the government, including uniformed doctors and nurses from the little-known U.S. Public Health Service. Most are military personnel, snapping a salute when are assigned to their mission ? ?Operation United Assistance.? It does not qualify for combat pay, only hardship-duty incentive pay, which is about $5 a day ? before taxes...