When hospital corpsmen aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise spend two days gearing up for an "upcoming round of smallpox vaccinations for the crew and its embarked air wing," something--something big--is afoot.
What is interesting is that "sailors will begin recieving recieving the vaccine before entering the 5th Fleet area of responsibility." For those of you who don't know, the 5th Fleet operates in the Persian Gulf.
Though the article--a Navy Newstand piece posted at http://www.news.navy.mil/... says the vaccination is "routine," it feels somewhat unusual to give smallpox vaccine while on deployment--to a goodly portion of the 5000ish members of the Enterprise crew. And that's what they seem to be reving up for..you only get a wholesale revaccination campaign going if you expect something...
Why is the USS Enterprise getting vaccinated now? According to the latest available vaccine guideance from the Undersecretary of Defense's office, a memo from David Chu (posted at
http://www.smallpox.mil/...) says:
"To assist units in preparing for deployment, vaccination against anthrax and smallpox should begin 60 days prior to scheduled departure date. This policy revision applies to any overseas movement to areas currently designated for anthrax and smallpox vaccination program."
Unless the regulations have changed, it's a wee bit late for the Enterprise. As of today, the USS Enterprise is operating in the Red Sea. Somebody, I think, muffed up the planning--and when I see bad warplanning oversight, I think...the Bush Administration is up to something stoopid.
This attempt at D-Day-like secrets-keeping smacks of another Bush adventure in the Middle East--or elsewhere. It's getting silly. I mean, nobody told the Captain of the USS Enterprise what his ship was to do. According to a May 3rd article in the Richmond Times Dispatch:
"Sailors have closely followed events in Iraq and Iran. What exact missions the carrier will undertake during the six-month deployment "is a question that we're all asking," said Capt. Lawrence Rice, skipper of the Enterprise."
There are a host of other small deployment cues that suggest something might be quietly winding up. Whenever a hospital ship is abroad, I get nervous. And the USNS Mercy is wandering about the South Pacific, within easy distance. Other cues--well, the optempo of our carriers seems really high, with many being prepped for, if neccessary, immediate deployment. (and with several on long-term maintenance holds...we've got no reserve for other...contingencies.)
I could be wrong. I hope I am. Have vaccination regulations changed? I mean, there are some good reasons to have smallpox vaccinations aboard ship. You don't risk spreading the vaccine about (smallpox vaccine is a "live," weak relative of the smallpox virus), to family, friends or other folks. But there are some weaknesses too. Any nasty adverse effects from the vaccine are kinda tough to monitor and treat while deployed. (That's the reasoning behind the "vaccinate before deployment" rule, see.)
But doubts aside, any vaccination is done with a fear in mind, and, well, the major smallpox fear in the Area of the 5th Fleet is Iran. They've been suspected--for a long time--of working with poxviruses and employing Russian biowar scientists...
And that leads me back to strategy. With the "Rumsfeld Doctrine" of inserting some Special Forces guys to make lightning swift strikes...you gotta put 'em somewhere post-operation. And if they're infected/exposed to smallpox (which, if they're pawing through nasty biowarfare "labs"), then, well, the Pentagon will probably put those contaminated guys onto a helo-capable ship. Where you'd want to make darn sure everybody was vaccinated...hmm...
I'm a wee bit worried. Isn't Congress going to make sure that Bush gets a Declaration of War before attacking another country? Maybe its time to start focusing on how to keep Bush from doing something foolhardy during the Summer Congressional Recess. Hmm? Not to build Iran up too much, but they'll try--really try--to hit the USA at home. And I'm not sure we're up to snuff, defensively...because the Republicans haven't even bothered to pick the "low-haning fruit" of homeland defense.
It would be a good political move for a party in need of an electoral boost. Fear does good for incumbents.
Somebody--some journalist--needs to start studying the secretive "near war" we had with Iran back in the early-mid '80s. Some Admrial got relieved over that one, if I recall correctly (see Vistica's book). We have similar operators in charge at the today's White House, and they may be trying to do it all again--
I would suggest the media start sniffing around--sailing in the Persian Gulf, watching the Suez Canal or the UAE/Bahrain area or the Japan/Guam region for tempo changes. But perhaps we should roust out some bloggers. They seem to be doing a better job...