Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the military

Last updated

Armed forces play a crucial role when responding to crises and emergencies. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, militaries were readily deployed in many countries to assist the civilian medical personnel and overwhelmed hospitals by creating additional hospitals and providing other additional resources. [1] Apart from the management of the health crises, the pandemic has had a significant impact on the military operations. The security and defence related aspects including the missions, operations and training were adversely affected with the Covid-19. [2] The broad spread of Covid can limit the defence forces' ability to carry out a mission. Many military training and exercises have been postponed or cancelled. [3]

Contents

Impact of COVID-19

Impact on recruit training

Recruit training that involves several hundred recruits increased the safety risk during the Covid pandemic. Limiting the spread of Covid was a top priority to ensure that the training can be conducted without interruption. [4] The immediate measure to limit the spread of the pandemic was to limit the movement of trainees and trainers through lockdown, quarantine and so on.

The lockdowns and restrictions as a result of Covid-19 prevented the entry of trainers into institutes, reduced the number of new trainees and the final phase of induction training was left incomplete. [5] The defences forces recruitment process including collective training activities and induction processing came to a halt as a result of Covid -19. [6] The low recruitment rates and increased turnover rates in the military have led to the military strength falling below the minimum. [7] The strength of the defence forces depends on competent staff. Military authorities have warned about the need for urgent measures to boost retention and increase recruitment to address the current shortage of defence force personnel as a result of Covid. [7]

Physical and Mental Health

The Covid-19 pandemic adversely affected the physical and mental health of military veterans. Studies indicate that some military veterans without insomnia symptoms before the pandemic developed either subthreshold or clinical insomnia symptoms during the pandemic period. [8]

Responses

Military forces all over the world are adopting several measures to minimise the threats of the Covid pandemic on the military readiness to fulfil missions. [9] The nature of responses of the defence forces during the Covid pandemic has significant impact on international safety missions. [10]

Asia

On 27 February, South Korea and the United States (US) cancelled joint military exercises scheduled for March 2020. [11] The Israeli defence force implemented social distancing through measures such as splitting personnel's into separate shifts, reducing the number of personnel in a single room and minimising exposure between military personnel and civilians. [4] Putting units into quarantine, using masks and other personal protective equipment and use of disinfectants were other methods adopted to contain the Covid pandemic in the Israeli defence force. [4]

Europe

On 11 March, the Norwegian Armed Forces cancelled the Cold Response 20 exercise planned to involve NATO and allied personnel. [3]

During the first wave of the pandemic in Italy, the Italian armed forces worked with the national government to provide civilian healthcare and logistical support throughout the country, in addition to serve as lockdown enforcement alongside the police. [12] [13]

On 25 March, president of France Emmanuel Macron launched "Operation Resilience" to enable the French armed forces to provide civilian support during the pandemic in France and overseas French territories. [14]

North America

United States

The military exercises scheduled in the first half of 2020 were cancelled. [15] The cancelled exercises include a joint fire exercise on the dynamic front, saber strike, joint warfighting assessment and swift response. On 16 March, the National Defense Industrial Association in the United States cancelled the 2020 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference scheduled for May 2020. [16] On 25 March, the Department of Defense prohibited the deployment of servicemembers for 60 days to mitigate spread of the virus. [17] On 27 March, the United States cancelled large-scale exercises involving thousands of troops in the Philippines that had been scheduled for May 2020. [18] In addition, the movement of personnel and equipment from the US to Europe also ceased due to concerns over Covid-19. All the cancelled exercises were crucial to enhance NATO's military capabilities and improve their ability to defend against Russian aggression. [15] On 6 April, the United States Forces Japan declared a Public Health Emergency on the Kanto Plain installations. [19] [20] In May 2020, the Department of Defense issued a memo banning survivors of COVID-19 from joining the military. [21] In June 2020, the United States Navy came up with guidance to combat COVID-19 and deploy safely using the smallest effort possible. [22]

Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq

On 20 March 2020, CJTF-OIR confirmed that certain troops would be withdrawing from Iraq due to the pandemic. [23]

Infection

Military bases

India

INS Angre

On 2020.04.18, it was announced that 21 sailors staying at INS Angre, a naval base in Mumbai, had tested positive. [24] Most of the cases were asymptomatic, and all of the cases had been traced to a sailor who tested positive on 2020.04.07. [24] The Navy emphasized that no sailors serving on a ship or submarine had been infected. [24]

United Kingdom

Akrotiri and Dhekelia

On 15 March, the first two cases in Akrotiri and Dhekelia were confirmed. [25]

United States

United States Air Force Academy cadets partake in social distancing during their graduation ceremony, April 18, 2020 2020 USAF Academy Cadet Graduation social distancing.jpg
United States Air Force Academy cadets partake in social distancing during their graduation ceremony, April 18, 2020
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base

On 24 March, the first case in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base was confirmed. [26]

United States Forces Korea

On 26 February, the first case was confirmed to have spread to the Camp Humphreys. [27]

As of 22 April, a total of 22 SARS-CoV-2 cases were laboratory confirmed at United States Forces Korea bases: 10 at Camp Humpreys, 8 at Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk Province bases (Camp Carroll, Camp Henry and Camp Walker), 3 at the Osan Air Base, and 1 at the Camp Casey. [28]

The COVID-19 pandemic spread to a number of naval ships, with the nature of such ships, including working with others in small enclosed areas and the lack of private quarters for the vast majority of crew, contributing to the rapid spread of the disease, even more so than on cruise ships. [29] [30] The important nature of naval personnel compared to cruise ship personnel and passengers make such COVID-19 outbreaks on naval ships more concerning.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reserve Defence Forces</span> Combined reserve components of the Irish Defence Forces

The Reserve Defence Forces (RDF) are the combined reserve components of the Irish Defence Forces. The RDF is organised into the First Line Reserve (FLR) and an active Second Line Reserve. The First Line Reserve is composed of former members of the Permanent Defence Forces (PDF) and, as of May 2023, had a strength of 276. The Second Line Reserve comprises the Army Reserve (AR) with, as of May 2023, a strength of 1,351 out of an established strength of 3,869, and the Naval Service Reserve (NSR), with a strength of 79 out of an established strength of 200.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus. The first case of the virus in Sri Lanka was confirmed on 27 January 2020, after a 44-year-old Chinese woman from Hubei, China, was admitted to the Infectious Disease Hospital in Angoda, Sri Lanka. As of 15 December 2022, a total of 671,776 COVID-19 cases had been recorded in the country, 654,919 patients had recovered from the disease, and 16,814 patients had died.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan is part of the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus was confirmed to have reached Pakistan on 26 February 2020, when two cases were recorded. On 18 March 2020, cases had been registered in all four provinces, the two autonomous territories, and Islamabad Capital Territory, and by 17 June, each district in Pakistan had recorded at least one confirmed case of COVID-19.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Azerbaijan</span> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in Azerbaijan

The COVID-19 pandemic in Azerbaijan was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus was confirmed to have spread to Azerbaijan when its first case was confirmed in February 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Oman was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus was confirmed to have reached Oman on 24 February 2020 when two citizens tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from Iran. As of 21 August 2021, the total number of cases registered in the sultanate is 300,914, of which 289,450 have recovered and 4,020 have died. Initially, the majority of the cases and deaths occurred in the expatriate community. By July 2020, as the pandemic entered its fourth month in the country, the majority of the cases and deaths had occurred among the citizens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National responses to the COVID-19 pandemic</span>

National responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have been varied, and have included containment measures such as lockdowns, quarantines, and curfews. As of 10 November 2024, 776,753,553 cases of COVID-19 have been reported, resulting in 7,073,453 reported deaths. The most affected countries in terms of confirmed cases are the United States, Brazil, India, Russia, South Africa, Peru, Mexico, Chile, the United Kingdom, and Iran.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Djibouti was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus spread to Djibouti in March 2020. It is a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Model-based simulations for Djibouti indicate that the 95% confidence interval for the time-varying reproduction number R t has been rising since August 2020 and exceeded 1.0 until April 2021.

The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the French overseas collectivity of New Caledonia on 18 March 2020. All cases are on the main island of Grand Terre and are related to travel abroad. On 7 May, all cases had recovered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Rescript</span> British military operation to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic

Operation Rescript was the code name for the British military operation to help tackle the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom and its Crown Dependencies between 2020 and 2022. It was described as the UK's "biggest ever homeland military operation in peacetime" by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), involving up to 23,000 personnel within a specialist task force, named the COVID Support Force (CSF). The support was given at the request of the UK government, its devolved administrations and civil authorities through the Military aid to the civil authorities (MACA) mechanism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Broadshare</span> British military operation to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic

Operation Broadshare is the code name for the British military operation to address the COVID-19 pandemic overseas, primarily in the British Overseas Territories (BOTs) and British overseas military bases. The operation runs in parallel to a similar military operation in the United Kingdom, named Operation Rescript.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Crozier</span> United States Navy officer

Brett Elliott Crozier is a retired captain in the United States Navy. A United States Naval Academy graduate, he became a naval aviator, first flying helicopters and then switching to fighters. After completing naval nuclear training, he served as an officer on several aircraft carriers. In spring 2020, he was commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt when COVID-19 broke out among the crew. He was relieved of command by then-acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly after sending a letter to Navy leaders asking that most of the crew be taken ashore which was subsequently leaked to the press. Crozier himself was also later diagnosed with the virus. He was reassigned to a shore position and retired in March 2022.

COVID-19 pandemic on USS <i>Theodore Roosevelt</i>

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, was detected on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in March 2020 while she was at sea. Affected crew members were evacuated and the ship was ordered to Guam. The captain, Brett Crozier, wanted most of the crew to be removed from the ship to prevent the spread of the disease, but his superiors were reluctant. After several days Crozier e-mailed three of his superior officers and seven other Navy Captains, outlining a plan for the ship to be largely evacuated because the virus could not be contained on board. The letter leaked to the press, and the next day the Navy ordered most of the crew to be taken ashore, but the captain was relieved of command by Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly. Modly's order was controversial, and his later speech to the crew aboard Theodore Roosevelt was criticized. Modly resigned a few days later. By mid-April hundreds of crew members including Crozier had tested positive for the virus, and one had died.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020</span> Sequence of major events in a virus pandemic

This article documents the chronology of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, which originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Some developments may become known or fully understood only in retrospect. Reporting on this pandemic began in December 2019.

The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the United States' Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in March 2020. Since April 2020, the United States Department of Defense has directed bases to not publicize case statistics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic on naval ships</span>

The COVID-19 pandemic spread to many military ships. The nature of these ships, which includes working with others in small enclosed areas and a lack of private quarters for the vast majority of crew, contributed to the rapid spread of the disease, even more so than on cruise ships.

COVID-19 pandemic on <i>Charles de Gaulle</i> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic on Charles de Gaulle

In April 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic reached the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and the Aeronaval Group of the Naval Action Force, its carrier battle group.

Events in the year 2020 in Cyprus

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian government response to the COVID-19 pandemic</span>

The first responses of the government of India to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country involved thermal screenings of passengers arriving from China, the country from which the coronavirus disease 2019 originated, as well as of passengers arriving from other countries. As the pandemic spread worldwide, the Indian government recommended social distancing measures and also initiated travel and entry restrictions. Throughout March 2020, several shutdowns and business closures were initiated, and by the end of the month, the Indian government ordered a widespread lockdown. An economic package was announced in May 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom</span> Indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.K.

The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom has had far-reaching consequences in the country that go beyond the spread of the disease itself and efforts to quarantine it, including political, cultural, and social implications.

References

  1. ↑ Kalkman, J., 2021. Military crisis responses to COVID‐19. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 29(1), pp.99-103.
  2. ↑ European Parliament, 2021. How the COVID-19 crisis has affected security and defence-related aspects of the EU. [online] Europarl.europa.eu. Available at: <https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2021/653623/EXPO_IDA(2021)653623_EN.pdf> [Accessed 6 July 2022].
  3. 1 2 Hurt, Martin (2020-03-17). "The impact of COVID-19 on military exercises in Europe". icds.ee.
  4. 1 2 3 Tsur, A., Furer, A., Avramovich, E., Karp, E., Twig, G., Bader, T., Almakias, M. and Fink, N., 2021. SARS-CoV-2 Epidemic in the Israeli Defense Force—Lessons Learned from Our rt-PCR Screening Policy. Military Medicine.
  5. ↑ Gurung, Shaurya Karanbir (2020-04-13). "Training hit at defence institutes, passing out and new inductions likely to be delayed". The Economic Times. ISSN   0013-0389 . Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  6. ↑ "Defence Forces – Tuesday, 2 Nov 2021 – Parliamentary Questions (33rd Dáil) – Houses of the Oireachtas". www.oireachtas.ie. 2021-11-02. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  7. 1 2 O’Riordan, Sean (2020-12-14). "Defence Forces recruitment crisis won't be resolved without urgent measures". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  8. ↑ McCarthy, E., DeViva, J., Na, P. and Pietrzak, R., 2021. New‐onset and exacerbated insomnia symptoms during the COVID‐19 pandemic in US military veterans: A nationally representative, prospective cohort study. Journal of Sleep Research, 31(1).
  9. ↑ Segal, D., Rotschield, J., Ankory, R., Kutikov, S., Moaddi, B., Verhovsky, G., Benov, A., Twig, G., Glassberg, E., Fink, N., Bader, T. and Karp, E., 2020. Measures to Limit COVID-19 Outbreak Effects Among Military Personnel: Preliminary Data. Military Medicine, 185(9-10), pp.e1624-e1631.
  10. ↑ Norheim, O., Abi-Rached, J., Bright, L., Bærøe, K., Ferraz, O., Gloppen, S. and Voorhoeve, A., 2020. Difficult Trade-Offs in Response to COVID-19: The Case for Open and Inclusive Decision-Making. SSRN Electronic Journal.
  11. ↑ Shinkman, Paul D. (2020-02-27). "U.S., South Korea Cancel Military Exercises Amid Coronavirus Spike". U.S. News & World Report .
  12. ↑ "Europe's armed forces and the fight against COVID-19". IISS. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  13. ↑ "Italy calls in military to enforce coronavirus lockdown as 627 people die in 24 hours". CNN. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  14. ↑ "Macron launches army Operation Resilience to support fight against coronavirus". France 24. 2020-03-25. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  15. 1 2 "The impact of COVID-19 on military exercises in Europe". ICDS. 2020-03-17. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  16. ↑ "Cancellation updates: SOFIC cancelled". Military Times . 2020-03-16.
  17. ↑ "COVID-19 and the U.S. Military". War on the Rocks. 2020-11-10. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  18. ↑ "US cancels military drills with Philippines over coronavirus". The Straits Times . 2020-03-27.
  19. ↑ @USForcesJapan (2020-04-06). "USFJ commander declares Public Health Emergency for Kanto Plains installations" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. ↑ Gallagher, Chris (2020-04-06). "U.S. Forces Japan declares health emergency for bases in Kanto region". Reuters .
  21. ↑ Myers, Meghann (2020-07-06). "Coronavirus survivors banned from joining the military". Military Times. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  22. ↑ Information, the Office of the Navy Chief of (4 June 2020). "Navy issues COVID-19 standardized operational guidance". DC Military. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  23. ↑ Rebecca Kheel (March 20, 2020). "US-led coalition in Iraq drawing down over coronavirus concerns". The Hill . Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  24. 1 2 3 "Coronavirus India: 26 Navy Sailors in Mumbai Test COVID-19 +ve, No Infections on Warships, Submarines".
  25. ↑ "Coronavirus: British Bases announce two confirmed cases". in-cyprus. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  26. ↑ "Naval Station Guantanamo Bay Announces Positive COVID-19 Case". www.navy.mil. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 2020-04-14. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  27. ↑ Lee, Geun-pyung (2020-02-26). "부대 내 접촉 감염자에 비상걸린 軍…주한미군 1명 추가 확진". JoongAng Ilbo .
  28. ↑ Ha, Hyun-jong (2020-04-12). "평택 미군기지서 코로나19 확진…주한미군 22번째". Seoul Broadcasting System .
  29. ↑ Faturechi, Robert; Rose, Megan & Miller, T. Christan (16 March 2020). "After Discovering a Sailor With Coronavirus, the U.S. Navy Crowded Dozens Into One Room". Propublica.org. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  30. ↑ Gafni, Matthias & Garofoli, Joe (31 March 2020). "Exclusive: Captain of aircraft carrier with growing coronavirus outbreak pleads for help from Navy". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.