National Guard Status - Gen Lengyel - no federal activation planned

Chief of the National Guard Bureau Air Force Gen. Joseph L. Lengyel

Press Briefing on COVID-19 Response

MARCH 19, 2020

https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/2119123/chief-of-the-national-guard-bureau-air-force-gen-joseph-l-lengyel-press-briefin/

excerpt at about down 1/4 page

Q: General, Bob Burns from AP.

You mentioned that the 2,000-plus Guard members who have been called up by governors at this point. I’m wondering, is there any discussion you're having, others are having about the possibility of mobilizing the Guard under federal authority? And what would be the advantage of doing that?

GEN. LENGYEL: So you know, I – the National Guard is a reserve component of the United States Army and Air Force, and certainly, if the president with this declaration, if he wanted to mobilize the National Guard in a Title 10 federal status, he could do that. But that would not make sense in this situation. The best use of the National Guard is to use the National Guard for the unique authorities that it has, and that is to remain under the command and control of the – of the networks in the states.

Every state has a different way to deal with disasters, and the National Guard is uniquely qualified and postured to act under the command and control of the governors in the state. And so if you were to federalize them, you would lose that ability, and you would lose some other things. For instance, a unique attribute – attribute of the National Guard is we can – we can operate as – as law enforcement capacity to assist state and local law enforcement inside the states; and if you were to federalize the National Guard, then you would lose that ability to – to do that.

So, while – I mean certainly the – the president can mobilize and federalize the National Guard but it would be my advice – and I – and there's no plans that I'm aware of to – to take the National Guards in the states and put them in a federal status. They are much better used in a state status under command and control of the governors.

Dept of Defense Covid-19 Updates webpage:

https://www.defense.gov/Explore/Spotlight/Coronavirus/

>>8482854

National Guard Ramping Up COVID-19 Response

(DoD March 19 2020)

https://www.defense.gov/Explore/News/Article/Article/2118175/national-guard-ramping-up-covid-19-response/

About 2,050 National Guard soldiers and airmen in 27 states have been activated to support COVID-19 response efforts, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said.

Air Force Gen. Joseph L. Lengyel said today that by this weekend that number most likely would double, and it is even possible that tens of thousands of guardsmen could be activated as the situation unfolds, depending on the needs of communities.

There are about 450,000 Guard troops in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and three U.S. territories, he noted, with logistical and other capabilities that include airlift, ground transportation, command and control, engineering, kitchens, tents and medical personnel.

Lengyel provided a snapshot of what the Guard is already doing:

The New York National Guard is helping local officials distribute food, much of it in the hard-hit area of New Rochelle.

A Tennessee Air National Guard C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft delivered 500,000 swabs to be added to COVID-19 test kits in Memphis yesterday.

More than 500 soldiers are assisting with collecting samples from drive-through testing in Broward County, Florida.

In Maryland, the National Guard is supporting medical assessments and testing site operations.

The Wisconsin National Guard is supporting transportation missions for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

In Louisiana, the Guard liaison officers are assisting the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security in emergency preparedness.

Across the U.S., civil support teams are supporting the local departments of health with drive-through testing stations.

"We remain flexible and committed for whatever mission we may be called to do," Lengyel said. He noted that the governors of each state have the flexibility to use the Guard in ways they deem most fit and productive.

So far, six Guardsmen in the U.S. currently have tested positive for COVID-19, he said. Force health protection measures are in place in an effort to prevent more.

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Hospital Ships, Other DOD Assets Prepare for Coronavirus Response

(DoD March 18 2020)

https://www.defense.gov/Explore/News/Article/Article/2116862/hospital-ships-other-dod-assets-prepare-for-coronavirus-response/

The USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy are being prepared for deployment "as needed to assist potentially overwhelmed communities with acute patient care," Jonathan Rath Hoffman, assistant to the defense secretary for public affairs, said during a news conference today at the Pentagon. He was joined at the briefing by Air Force Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Paul Friedrichs, the Joint Staff surgeon.

The Comfort is now in Norfolk, Virginia, for maintenance, and the Navy has been asked to expedite that, Hoffman said, adding that it may take "a little while" for that ship to be ready to go. It will go to New York when its maintenance is complete.

The Mercy is on the West Coast and is ready to go in "days, not weeks," he said, and where it will go will be determined when it's ready to sail.

Both ships face issues with manning, however. Friedrichs, said the ships would likely be manned with typical staffs of personnel trained for combat casualty care, rather than for dealing with a contagious disease like the coronavirus.

"Our understanding is that the intent is the ships will be used to take non-coronavirus patients, which is what our staffs are best assigned and organized to do," he said.

Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper suggested yesterday that one role for military medical professionals in regard to coronavirus response would be to take non-coronavirus patient care off of the hands of civilian hospital staffs so that those staffs could instead deal with coronavirus patients. Military medical personnel, and military medical facilities are geared more toward trauma care than dealing with contagious patients, he said.

The Defense Department has also put a number of active duty medical units on alert. That includes different types of units, Friedrichs said. "Right now, what we are trying to do is make sure we have a range of options available to meet the requests that may come to us from [the Department of Health and Human Services] and from communities."

Altogether, Friedrichs said, enough units have been put on alert to provide 1,000 beds, a number that doesn't include those on the Navy's hospital ships.

DOD has a variety of deployable medical units it could draw on to provide those 1,000 beds, Friedrichs said, including Air Force Expeditionary Medical System units that can be transported rapidly on aircraft; the Army's much larger Combat Support Hospitals, which can also be deployed by air or over the ground; Army field hospitals; and Navy Expeditionary Medical Facilities.

Hoffman also said that as of 5 a.m. today, 49 military personnel, 14 civilian employees, 19 military family members and seven contractors had confirmed cases of coronavirus.

>>8483097

If Cuomo is like PA's Gov Wolf, state workers not teleworking will be awarded 10 days paid leave at the expense of state taxpayers (the many obligated to not work).