US: Military planning for possible H1N1 outbreak

[theforeigner]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/28/military.swine.flu/


Story Highlights
Military wants to establish regional teams to help civilian authorities respond
Proposal awaiting final approval from Defense Secretary Robert Gates
Military could provide support such as air transport, large-scale testing

Military planning for possible H1N1 outbreak

updated 10:20 p.m. EDT, Tue July 28, 2009Next Article in U.S. ?


From Barbara Starr
CNN Pentagon Correspondent

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. military wants to establish regional teams of military personnel to assist civilian authorities in the event of a significant outbreak of the H1N1 virus this fall, according to Defense Department officials.

The proposal is awaiting final approval from Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

The officials would not be identified because the proposal from U.S. Northern Command's Gen. Victor Renuart has not been approved by the secretary.

The plan calls for military task forces to work in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. There is no final decision on how the military effort would be manned, but one source said it would likely include personnel from all branches of the military.

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It has yet to be determined how many troops would be needed and whether they would come from the active duty or the National Guard and Reserve forces.

Civilian authorities would lead any relief efforts in the event of a major outbreak, the official said. The military, as they would for a natural disaster or other significant emergency situation, could provide support and fulfill any tasks that civilian authorities could not, such as air transport or testing of large numbers of viral samples from infected patients.

As a first step, Gates is being asked to sign a so-called "execution order" that would authorize the military to begin to conduct the detailed planning to execute the proposed plan.

Orders to deploy actual forces would be reviewed later, depending on how much of a health threat the flu poses this fall, the officials said.

 

[tyto]

Re: US: Military planning for possible H1N1 outbreak

DOD establishes a new lab at Norfolk, Virginia capable of testing for pandemic H1N1 to be operational by August 1st.


Source: http://www.health.mil/Press/Release.aspx?ID=844

Wednesday, July 22, 2009
NEPMU-2 to Test for H1N1

By Deborah Kallgren and MC2 (AW/SW) William Heimbuch

Excerpt:

Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit No. 2 (NEPMU-2) will be the first Navy lab on the East Coast to have the capability to test human samples for H1N1 (swine) influenza. It is expected to begin confirmatory testing by Aug. 1. NEPMU-2 is a unit belonging to Naval Medical Center Portsmouth located at Norfolk Naval Station. It supports Fleet units and operational forces as well as the 14 Navy Medicine East hospitals by providing FDA-approved confirmatory testing for H1N1. The lab?s geographic area of responsibility includes the U.S. east of the Mississippi River, Central America, South America, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Two similar Navy units handle the rest of the world. NEPMU-2 augments the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego, state health departments and the Centers for Disease Control labs in H1N1 testing.

By analyzing samples in Norfolk without having to send them on a time-consuming journey to a lab outside of the region, doctors will get results quicker. This assists with getting patients to the appropriate treatment quicker and implementation of specific public health measures to help contain spread of disease.

?We are a military extension of the CDC,? said NEPMU-2?s Officer in Charge, Cmdr. Todd Wagner. ?We look out for the overall public health and safety of our service members and their dependents.?

NEPMU-2 is in the final phase of confirming the new laboratory processes before H1N1 analysis begins. The lab and lab technicians are certified and follow all federal laboratory regulations to ensure personal and public safety. Analysts wear booties, lab coats, masks, eye protection and double gloves at all times when running samples. The new testing includes automated stations which can detect DNA and RNA unique to the H1N1 virus.

 

[tyto]

Re: US: Military planning for possible H1N1 outbreak

The Congressional Research Service provided a report for Congress on the role of the DOD during a flu pandemic.

Source: "The Role of the Department of Defense During a Flu Pandemic" June 4, 2009. Lawrence Kapp, Don Jansen. Congressional Research Service (R40619)

Summary
A flu pandemic is a worldwide epidemic of an influenza virus. As such, the United States? response to a flu pandemic would have both international and domestic components. Additionally, the domestic response effort would include contributions from every governmental level (local, state, tribal, and federal), non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. This report will focus largely on the role of the Department of Defense (DOD) in supporting the nation?s domestic response effort, although it will also touch on DOD?s international role.

The Department of State would lead the federal government?s international response efforts, while the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services would lead the federal government?s domestic response. The Department of Defense would likely be called upon to support both the international and domestic efforts. An analysis of the tasks assigned by the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Implementation Plan indicates that DOD?s role during a flu pandemic would center on the following objectives: assisting in disease surveillance; assisting partner nations, particularly through military-to-military assistance; protecting and treating US forces and dependents; and providing support to civil authorities in the United States.

With respect to providing support to civil authorities in the United States, the types of defense support which would likely be in greatest demand during a flu pandemic include: providing disease surveillance and laboratory diagnostics; transporting response teams, vaccines, medical equipment, supplies, diagnostic devices, pharmaceuticals and blood products; treating patients; evacuating the ill and injured; processing and tracking patients; providing base and installation support to federal, state, local, and tribal agencies; controlling movement into and out of areas, or across borders, with affected populations; supporting law enforcement; supporting quarantine enforcement; restoring damaged public utilities; and providing mortuary services. Note, however, that DOD?s ability to support these requests would be limited by its national defense and force protection responsibilities. The two principal ways in which defense support could be provided to civil authorities are by way of an ?immediate response,? or in response to a formal ?request for assistance? (RFA). Additionally, in extreme circumstances the federal government may expedite or suspend the RFA process and initiate a ?proactive federal response.?

National Guard personnel would almost certainly be involved in domestic response efforts as members of their state militia under the control of their governor. Current DOD plans do not anticipate federal mobilization of the National Guard or Reserves to respond to a flu pandemic. However, these plans could be modified if circumstances warranted it (for example, if the severity of the pandemic significantly exceeded DOD?s planning assumptions). In the event such a federal mobilization is contemplated, an important consideration would be the impact it would have on any response efforts that were already occurring at the state and local levels. For example, the activation of Reserve and National Guard medical personnel may pull them out of local hospitals where they are already engaged in the response effort, thereby undermining state and local response efforts.

 

[tyto]

Re: US: Military planning for possible H1N1 outbreak

Here's curious piece of legislation sponsored by Rep. Alcee Hastings, a Democrat from Florida.

H.R. 645 National Emergency Centers Establishment Act was introduced on Jan 22, 2009. This bill allows the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish national emergency centers on military installations. Here's a summary:

1/22/2009--Introduced.
National Emergency Centers Establishment Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish at least six national emergency centers on military installations to use existing infrastructure to provide: (1) temporary housing, medical, and humanitarian assistance to individuals and families dislocated due to an emergency or major disaster; and (2) centralized locations for the training of first responders and the coordination of preparedness, response, and recovery efforts.

Lists minimum requirements for sites for such centers, including that they be capable of: (1) meeting for an extended period the housing, health, transportation, education, public works, humanitarian, and other transition needs of a large number of individuals affected; (2) being scaled up or down to accommodate major disaster preparedness and response drills, operations, and procedures; (3) housing existing permanent structures necessary to meet training and first responders coordination requirements during non-disaster periods; and (4) hosting the infrastructure necessary to rapidly adjust to temporary housing, medical, and humanitarian assistance needs.

Sets forth center location requirements, including requiring the Secretary to designate closed military installations as sites whenever possible and to designate portions of existing military installations as centers otherwise.

This is the third time Rep. Hastings has introduced this bill. The previous two times (2005, 2007) the bill never became law because the bill never went to committee or was voted on before the end of the Congressional Session. I'm not sure what the motivation is behind this bill. But I'm sure it would get a bump and be passed should things get really bad in a pandemic.

Source: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-645

Also posted on FT (Apr 30, 2009) by Rocky - post#20
http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=101418

 

[mixin]

Re: US: Military planning for possible H1N1 outbreak

... I'd be more confident in their ability to refuse an order they thought was immoral or unethical, and I'm not real confident about that. Not because I have doubts about their morals or ethics, but because soldiers are trained nowadays to defend themselves first and ask questions later.

You bring up a good point. I appreciate the job our military does; when the National Guard guys come into the restaurant where I often eat, I notice they are always treated with respect. They seem to have an air of being in control about them.

However, I came across this linked Canadian study months ago that made me re-think the whole "protecting us" issue. It's about how recruits deal with conflict between innocent civilians and their superior officers. When I found this study, there was a lot of conversation on other forums on this same topic. This statement is at the very beginning: "Implications of this study for training efforts and for future research are discussed."

While this was supposed to be about readying the recruits to go overseas, I wondered if they didn't have a pandemic scenario in mind also.

The study is long but an interesting read. While it's designed to help the military, civilians may find it useful to know how use moral conflict to their benefit.

Moral and Ethical Decision-Making in a Realistic Field Training Scenario

http://cradpdf.drdc.gc.ca/PDFS/unc68/p528818.pdf

 

[mixin]

Re: US: Military planning for possible H1N1 outbreak

Yes, for "this" study, that appears to be the desired outcome.

Otoh, the study shows exactly what civilian behavior trips that moralness in the trainees and gives good insight on how to train the military to avoid/ignore moral decisions if necessary.

 

[GennieF]

Re: US: Military planning for possible H1N1 outbreak

Military getting involved wouldn't necessarily concern me, except that most states have some form of the Emergency Health Powers Act. Here is a model for it which grants the states certain, specific (overreaching?) powers -

http://www2a.cdc.gov/phlp/docs/msehpa2.pdf

I know that for the state of Pennsylvania, a similar version of this was passed on February 18, 2009, "HOUSE BILL No. 492 EMERGENCY HEALTH POWERS AND PROCEDURES" -

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS...d=0&billBody=H&billTyp=B&billNbr=0492&pn=0544 (PDF file)


It is 41 pages, but part of this bill for the State of Pennsylvania mentions:

The public health authority may exercise, for such period as
the state of public health emergency exists, the following
powers concerning facilities, materials, roads or public areas:

(1) To procure, by condemnation or otherwise, construct,
lease, transport, store, maintain, renovate or distribute
materials and facilities as may be reasonable and necessary
for emergency response, with the right to take immediate
possession thereof. Such materials and facilities include,
but are not limited to, communication devices, carriers, real
estate, fuels, food, clothing and health care facilities.

(2) To compel a health care facility to provide services
or the use of its facility if such services or use are
reasonable and necessary for emergency response. The use of
the health care facility may include transferring the
management and supervision of the health care facility to the
public health authority for a limited or unlimited period of
time, but shall not exceed the termination of the state of
public health emergency.

(3) To control, restrict and regulate by rationing and
using quotas, prohibitions on shipments, price fixing,
allocation or other means, the use, sale, dispensing,
distribution or transportation of food, fuel, clothing and
other commodities, alcoholic beverages, firearms, explosives
and combustibles, as may be reasonable and necessary for
emergency response.

(4) To prescribe routes, modes of transportation and
destinations in connection with evacuation of persons or the
provisions of emergency services.

(5) To control ingress and egress to and from any
stricken or threatened public area, the movement of persons
within the area and the occupancy of premises therein, if
such action is reasonable and necessary for emergency
response.

Something like that, in conjunction with a military presence, would concern me.

Gennie

 

[Flufreak]

Re: US: Military planning for possible H1N1 outbreak

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32344842/ns/technology_and_science-the_new_york_times

Climate change seen as threat to U.S. security
Issue could become central in Senate debate over energy legislation


External links
By John M. Broder
updated 5:25 p.m. PT, Sat., Aug 8, 2009

WASHINGTON - The changing global climate will pose profound strategic challenges to the United States in coming decades, raising the prospect of military intervention to deal with the effects of violent storms, drought, mass migration and pandemics, military and intelligence analysts say.

 

[tyto]

Re: US: Military planning for possible H1N1 outbreak

This story has been banging around the blogsphere for the past couple of days. It sounds like a joke - but the announcement is on goarmy.com which is the official Army recruitment website. Not sure what to make of it.

National Guard asked to explain 'internment' jobs
Campaign recruiting for workers at 'civilian resettlement facility'
Posted: August 07, 2009
11:45 pm Eastern

By Bob Unruh
? 2009 WorldNetDaily

An ad campaign featured on a U.S. Army website seeking those who would be interested in being an "Internment/Resettlement" specialist is raising alarms across the country, generating concerns that there is some truth in those theories about domestic detention camps, a roundup of dissidents and a crackdown on "threatening" conservatives.


The ads, at the GoArmy.com website as well as others including Monster.com, cite the need for:

"Internment/Resettlement (I/R) Specialists in the Army are primarily responsible for day-to-day operations in a military confinement/correctional facility or detention/internment facility. I/R Specialists provide rehabilitative, health, welfare, and security to U.S. military prisoners within a confinement or correctional facility; conduct inspections; prepare written reports; and coordinate activities of prisoners/internees and staff personnel."

See the ad on the GoArmy.com website.

http://www.goarmy.com/JobDetail.do?id=292