The pentagon is in the process of deploying up to 4000 service members to provide support and assistance in fighting the ebola epidemic in West Africa. Now at the request of the CDC they are making medical personnel available for a rapid response being organized to deal with the possibility of further outbreaks of ebola in the US.
Pentagon Orders 30-Member Ebola Response Team
The Pentagon has ordered that a 30-person military medical team be prepared to be put on standby to quickly assist the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with its Ebola response in the United States if needed.
The move followed a request to the Defense Department made Saturday by the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC.
Rear Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon Press Secretary, said the move was "an added prudent measure to ensure our nation is ready to respond quickly, effectively, and safely in the event of additional Ebola cases in the United States."
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered U.S. Northern Command Command "to prepare and train a 30-person expeditionary medical support team that could, if required, provide short-notice assistance to civilian medical professionals in the United States," Kirby said.
This seems to be one part of President Obama's effort to focus the resources of the US government on being adequately prepared to deal with the threat of an ebola epidemic in the US. The Dept. of HHS and the CDC aren't staffed with people who provide direct treatment. Their roles are administration, research and information. The military has an extensive capability to provide health care in emergency situations.
The initial focus is in Texas. The team will undergo training at Ft. Sam Houston.
HHS Secretary Sulvia Burwell made a formal written request of Hagel on Saturday. In the request, Burwell asked that the team be ready no later than Oct. 25 and that when ready it be prepared to augment HHS/CDC operations within 72 hours of notification.
According to the official, Burwell said that if needed the military personnel will not be requested to enforce quarantine measures in the United States.
Kirby said the preparation of the team is similar to how the Defense Department prepares for natural disasters.
This does not sound anything like a declaration of martial law. We have already seen that local hospitals are not well prepared to deal with infectious diseases of this nature. This would appear to be a small team of resource specialists that could be immediately deployed to assist in dealing with newly identified ebola cases.