The U.S. was beset by denial and dysfunction as the coronavirus raged - Printable Version
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The U.S. was beset by denial and dysfunction as the coronavirus raged - burger - 04-04-2020
Pour yourself a cup of coffee, or better yet a stiff drink, and read this: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2020/04/04/coronavirus-government-dysfunction/?arc404=true
I can't even decide what the worst part is. Not implementing travel restrictions very early on because it might hurt the economy? Overruling FDA's attempts to partner with companies to develop covid-19 tests because it was too expensive? Ignoring pleas from officials to implement the defense production act early on? Repeatedly avoiding action because the cost seemed too high? The incompetence goes on and on and on.
RE: A magnum opus on the incompetence of the Trump administration - OutsiderFan - 04-04-2020
Those are all past failures. The mind blowing thing is the failure persists, unabated. Now the greatest one is not appointing someone to manage the crisis who is empowered to use all the resources of the federal government, including the military, to respond to it. The person must be honest, knowledgeable, competent, fact-based, precise, decisive, and fast to act, all characteristics that are antithetical to the beyond overmatched POTUS. Mike Pence, who is suppose to be in charge, and who's appointment is another example of past failures, is as useless as a one-legged stool. The fact the POTUS has not acted to use the resources of the federal government WE PAY TAXES TO HAVE & PROTECT US, means he really doesn't care if we die and suffer. He only cares to the extent it impacts him, meaning his political fortune.
By Monday, 10,000 Americans will have had their lives taken by this pandemic. I'm reminded of John Kerry's famous words to Congress about the Vietnam War. "How do you ask a man to be the last one to die for a mistake?" Our question now: How do we allow ourselves to die and suffer at the hands of callous incompetence and indifference? What can we do to compel the action we need from our federal government? We can't take to the streets because we are under order to stay home. Anyone have any ideas?
RE: The U.S. was beset by denial and dysfunction as the coronavirus raged - OutsiderFan - 04-04-2020
As someone who has taken the time to learn about the history of the Vietnam War, the question Kerry posed was well reasoned and totally legitimate, regardless of how self-serving and reptilian he might have been. The Vietnam War, by any reasonable measure was a mistake that killed over 68,000 Americans who died in vain in a war that was impossible to “win” from the beginning.
We are on the precipice of a mistake even bigger than the Vietnam War, compressed into a matter of months, if you count lives and treasure as the cost. The difference is the U.S. military was being used to no avail in Vietnam, and now it isn’t being used to any avail with this pandemic.
RE: The U.S. was beset by denial and dysfunction as the coronavirus raged - Goose - 04-04-2020
(04-04-2020, 07:35 PM)OutsiderFan Wrote: We are on the precipice of a mistake even bigger than the Vietnam War, compressed into a matter of months, if you count lives and treasure as the cost. The difference is the U.S. military was being used to no avail in Vietnam, and now it isn’t being used to any avail with this pandemic.Outsuider Fan, I am restraining myself as much as I can in asking exactly what do you want the US military to do in this pandemic, and why do you think they have the capability to do what you are going to propose?
RE: The U.S. was beset by denial and dysfunction as the coronavirus raged - BostonCard - 04-04-2020
(04-04-2020, 09:06 PM)Goose Wrote:(04-04-2020, 07:35 PM)OutsiderFan Wrote: We are on the precipice of a mistake even bigger than the Vietnam War, compressed into a matter of months, if you count lives and treasure as the cost. The difference is the U.S. military was being used to no avail in Vietnam, and now it isn’t being used to any avail with this pandemic.
Outsuider Fan, I am restraining myself as much as I can in asking exactly what do you want the US military to do in this pandemic, and why do you think they have the capability to do what you are going to propose?
If only there were a pandemic preparedness manual that would tell us:
Quote:Military assistance. The major authorities that DOD may rely on to provide assistance outside the United States, include:
• 10 U.S.C. § 401 (Humanitarian and Civic Assistance (HCA). This section of the Code provides for HCA projects, approved in coordination with the Combatant Commanders and DOS that improve operational readiness skills of participating U.S. forces and are conducted in conjunction with military operations.
• 10 U.S.C. § 402 (Transportation). Subject to certain exceptions, DOD may transport supplies provided by non-governmental, U.S. sources without charge on a space-available basis.
• 10 U.S.C. §404 (Foreign Disaster Assistance). Under certain circumstances and subject to certain congressional notice requirements, the President may direct the Secretary of Defense to provide disaster assistance outside the United States in order to respond to manmade or natural disasters when necessary to prevent the loss of life.
• 10 U.S.C. § 2557 (Excess Nonlethal Supplies: Humanitarian Relief). This provision authorizes excess supplies to be made available to DOS for humanitarian relief. DOS will be responsible for distribution.
• 10 U.S.C. § 2561(Transportation and Other Humanitarian Support). DOD also may provide fully funded transportation (on an other-than space-available basis), if it pays such transportation costs with its operation and maintenance funds earmarked for Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid (OHDCA) purposes.
And, not that I think it should:
Under the Insurrection Act the President may direct the military to enforce quarantines, or conduct security functions such as guarding stockpiles and pharmaceuticals, when he finds it necessary to enforce Federal law (see 10 U.S.C. §§ 332-334), or other prerequisites for use of the Act described above are met.
There are 67 mentions of "military" in the document, and while many focus on what the military should do to maintain readiness for its core defense function in a pandemic, a lot is how it can help in this situation.
BC
RE: The U.S. was beset by denial and dysfunction as the coronavirus raged - OutsiderFan - 04-05-2020
Watch interviews with the General put in charge of the Katrina response. There was a 9 minute one posted by someone on Twitter on Friday morning that transformed me into someone who had no idea what role the U.S. military has in a pandemic, to someone wondering why in the name of all life in the universe is it not being activated.
RE: The U.S. was beset by denial and dysfunction as the coronavirus raged - Goose - 04-05-2020
(04-04-2020, 10:42 PM)BostonCard Wrote:(04-04-2020, 09:06 PM)Goose Wrote:(04-04-2020, 07:35 PM)OutsiderFan Wrote: We are on the precipice of a mistake even bigger than the Vietnam War, compressed into a matter of months, if you count lives and treasure as the cost. The difference is the U.S. military was being used to no avail in Vietnam, and now it isn’t being used to any avail with this pandemic.
Outsuider Fan, I am restraining myself as much as I can in asking exactly what do you want the US military to do in this pandemic, and why do you think they have the capability to do what you are going to propose?
If only there were a pandemic preparedness manual that would tell us:
Quote:Military assistance. The major authorities that DOD may rely on to provide assistance outside the United States, include:
• 10 U.S.C. § 401 (Humanitarian and Civic Assistance (HCA). This section of the Code provides for HCA projects, approved in coordination with the Combatant Commanders and DOS that improve operational readiness skills of participating U.S. forces and are conducted in conjunction with military operations.
• 10 U.S.C. § 402 (Transportation). Subject to certain exceptions, DOD may transport supplies provided by non-governmental, U.S. sources without charge on a space-available basis.
• 10 U.S.C. §404 (Foreign Disaster Assistance). Under certain circumstances and subject to certain congressional notice requirements, the President may direct the Secretary of Defense to provide disaster assistance outside the United States in order to respond to manmade or natural disasters when necessary to prevent the loss of life.
• 10 U.S.C. § 2557 (Excess Nonlethal Supplies: Humanitarian Relief). This provision authorizes excess supplies to be made available to DOS for humanitarian relief. DOS will be responsible for distribution.
• 10 U.S.C. § 2561(Transportation and Other Humanitarian Support). DOD also may provide fully funded transportation (on an other-than space-available basis), if it pays such transportation costs with its operation and maintenance funds earmarked for Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid (OHDCA) purposes.
And, not that I think it should:
Under the Insurrection Act the President may direct the military to enforce quarantines, or conduct security functions such as guarding stockpiles and pharmaceuticals, when he finds it necessary to enforce Federal law (see 10 U.S.C. §§ 332-334), or other prerequisites for use of the Act described above are met.
There are 67 mentions of "military" in the document, and while many focus on what the military should do to maintain readiness for its core defense function in a pandemic, a lot is how it can help in this situation.
BC
BC, you are correct. It is very important to note that every one of these actions in the first group are to be performed "outside the United States". This is what the US Military is expected to be prepared to do for other nations in conjunction with the Department of State (DOS). None of this happens CONUS except the second set of things involved in the Insurrection Act. We have problems, but nobody is yet in open revolt.
Italy did request that the US Military share some of it's hospital assets, which I believe was done (only because I haven't seen otherwise). That is the only such request that I know about.
The VA hospitals are not part of the DOD and are tasked with responding to domestic emergencies.
The deployment in the United States of USNS Mercy and Comfort is above and beyond the requirements in the pandemic preparedness manual outlined above but was obviously possible and was done. Similarly, three Army Field Hospital units have been deployed inside the US. The plan is for these hospital ships and units to take normal case load patients, not COVID-19 patients. This will free up capacity in civilian hospitals. These units are all oriented towards trauma care. They have mostly open wards. Their ability to isolate patients is very limited. Their ICU facilities are also limited because in war patients needing ICU facilities would be evacuated if possible or triaged if necessary. More importantly, approximately 2/3 of the "full up" complement of these units are reservists. They would be pulled out of their day jobs and therefore would be robbing Peter to pay Paul. The ships and the hospitals are deploying "light". The US Army has very limited NBC capability (in contrast to the PLA) and there are no dedicated assets available from that source.