J O I N T
B A S E
AIR FORCE EDITION | 4.3.2020 | Vol. 10 | No. 13
L A N G L E Y - E U S T I S
President signs executive order calling up Air Force Reserve medics PG 4
For more online content, check out www.JBLE.af.mil
Restrictions to base access PG. 3
Space Force mission service PG. 12
P u b l i s h e d i n t h e i n t e r e s t o f p e r s o n n e l a t J o i n t B a s e L a n g l e y - E u s t i s • w w w. p e n i n s u l a w a r r i o r. c o m
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www.peninsulawarrior.com • Peninsula Warrior - Air Force • April 3, 2020
JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS EDITORIAL STAFF Joint Base Langley-Eustis Commander Col. Clinton A. Ross Joint Base Langley-Eustis Public Affairs Officer Capt. Sara Harper • Sara.Harper@us.af.mil Joint Base Langley-Eustis Editor Aliza Reisberg • aliza.reisberg@us.af.mil Per Air Force Instruction 35-101/Army Regulation 360-1, only stories and photos submitted by members of the Department of Defense community and DOD news services may be printed in The Peninsula Warrior. Any stories, photos or announcements must be submitted eight days prior to publication. Stories and photos should be submitted to the editor and/or assistant editor at 633abw.paedit@us.af.mil or Public Affairs Office, 601 Hines Cir., Fort Eustis, VA 23604. Announcements for the Community Section should be submitted to fteustismain@gmail.com. Announcements for the Outside the Gate Section should be submitted to fteustismain@gmail.com. For more information call 878-4920. Authors’ names may be withheld, but all letters must include the authors’ signatures and telephone number. The Peninsula Warrior is an authorized publication for all the members of the U.S. military. Contents of The Peninsula Warrior are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, Department of the Air Force or the Department of the Army. The Peninsula Warrior is printed every Friday by offset as a civilian enterprise newspaper for the Public Affairs Office, U.S. Air Force by Military Newspapers of Virginia at 150 W. Brambleton Ave. Norfolk, VA 23510 under exclusive written contract with the commander, Joint Base Langley-Eustis. MNV is a private firm in no way connected with the Department of the Air Force or Department of the Army. Printed circulation: 25,000. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation or any other non-merit factor of the purchaser, user or patron. A confirmed violation or rejection of this policy of equal opportunity by any advertiser will result in refusal to print advertising from that source. All editorial content of The Peninsula Warrior is prepared, edited, provided and approved by the Public Affairs Office Joint Base Langley-Eustis. All photographs are Air Force or Army photographs unless otherwise stated. The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts and supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense or MNV of the products or services advertised.
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Air Force Academy class of 2020 graduation date moved up By U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
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U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, COLO
The class of 2020 is pleased to announce their graduation event on April 18 culminating their four years at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. The class is planning the event six weeks ahead of schedule, allowing them to celebrate together while ensuring their health and safety by adhering to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Department of Defense guidelines. Family, friends and the public
will be able to live stream the entirety of the event, although they will not be able to attend in person due to health and safety concerns. “I have invited the class of 2020 to help the staff design their graduation ceremony and they will do this with the same care for military tradition and the Academy’s legacy as they’ve done leading other world-class Academy events,” said Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria, U.S. Air Force Academy superintendent. The accelerated graduation day will uphold the rigorous military and academic commissioning standards the Academy is known for and the nation expects.
Installation commander declares public health emergency By Col. Clint Ross 633rd Air Base Wing JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, VA.
As many of you are aware the United States is now leading the world in the number of confirmed Corona cases. The safety of our service members, families, and retirees is paramount while maintaining mission readiness and combat capability. In keeping with every possible effort to minimize community transmission across JBLE, I’ve determined that we need to further restrict access to the installation. As the commander, I have declared a public health emergency for all of Joint Base Langley-
Eustis as of March 27th. This declaration allows greater access to health care resources, and broader authority to limit access onto the installation, and restrict the movement of residents. In the coming days we will further limit access to mission essential personnel only. Additional details on these restrictions will follow early next week. This declaration provides JBLE additional avenues to fight COVID-19, and achieve the greatest public health benefit while maintaining operational effectiveness. The emergency order will remain in place for 30 days, with the option to terminate or extend based on emerging requirements. For more information
“I have invited the class of 2020 to help the staff design their graduation ceremony and they will do this with the same care for military tradition and the Academy’s legacy as they’ve done leading other world-class Academy events,” Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria, U.S. Air Force Academy superintendent. The Academy will release details of the event once they are available. For further questions please contact the U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs office at 719-333-7731 between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. MDT. For after duty hours questions, please call 719-330-5914.
about the public health emergency and restrictions please read the attached memos. This decision will be met with some criticism and frustration, but I know the majority of the base population and surrounding community will understand and will continue to encourage those around them to take every step to help prevent the spread of the virus. Leaders have a responsibility to protect all members of their team. This situation is serious and rapidly changing, so these measures, while inconvenient, are being implemented to prevent unnecessary risk. It is my job to protect the welfare of our warfighters, employees, retirees and families while ensuring mission readiness. Thanks again for you continued support and understanding that this is a unified effort that requires everyone’s cooperation both inside and outside the gates of JBLE. Stay safe, stay healthy.
We want to hear from you. Contact us at 633abw.paedit@us.af.mil, or call 878-4920 or 764-5701.
www.peninsulawarrior.com • Peninsula Warrior - Air Force • April 3, 2020
JBLE ANNOUNCES RESTRICTIONS TO BASE ACCESS By Col. Clint Ross 633RD AIR BASE WING
JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, VA.
Effective April 1, JBLE will further limit installation access for Langley Air Force Base and Fort Eustis. This action is consistent with both the JBLE Public Health Emergency declaration issued on March 27th, and Governor Northam’s Stay-At-Home order issued on March 30th. The full text of Governor Northam’s executive order, including all restrictions and exemptions, can be found at https:// www.governor.virginia.gov/media/ governorvirginiagov/executive-actions/EO-55-Temporary-Stay-atHome-Order-Due-to-Novel-Coronavirus-(COVID-19).pdf These restrictions are necessary to protect the health and safety of
all personnel assigned to JBLE, while simultaneously maintaining operational readiness. These restrictions will also reduce the risk for COVID-19 exposure to all who work or live on JBLE. Only those individuals who are deemed mission-critical will be allowed daily access to the installation. Until further notice, all other personnel, to include Retirees and VHIC card holders and retiree dependents, are only allowed entry on Monday and Tuesday. Mission-critical personnel include all active duty, guard, reserve, government civilian and contractors identified by the appropriate supervisor or unit commander. Additionally, the following categories of personnel are exempt from restrictions: 1) Active duty, reserve, guard personnel, and their dependents with ID cards seeking essential in-
stallation support services (i.e. Healthcare, Commissary, BX/PX, Exchange Mart). 2) Any beneficiary (to include Retirees) with a previously scheduled appointment with medical, dental or other base service provider (i.e. appointment for a new ID Card). 3) Residents of Hunt Housing Community and Balfour Beatty Community as well as their visitors who possess a base pass. New passes will only be issued with unit commander/director or above approval. 4) Approved residents of Bethel Recreational Area (FAMCAMP), Fort Eustis Outdoor Recreation RV Park and Lodging/TLF. 5) United States Postal Service, UPS, Amazon, Grocery Delivery Services (Instacart) and other previously authorized official delivery services will continue. Fast food
3 deliveries will not be allowed access to the base. Personnel can retrieve fast food deliveries from the Visitor Control Center. Retirees and their families who are TRICARE beneficiaries and are unable to pick up prescriptions on the designated days, may use network pharmacies for urgent needs. Members are also highly encouraged to take advantage of the TRICARE mail order pharmacy and can call 1-877-363-1303 to transfer their prescription and speak to a pharmacist 24/7. This situation is serious and rapidly changing, so these measures, while inconvenient, are being implemented to prevent unnecessary risk. Our service members and their families, live, work and thrive here, and we’re treating this invisible threat like any other enemy. Our leadership team is doing everything we can to help minimize the spread of COVID-19 across the Peninsula. Alongside our community partners we have a unified effort to combat this virus both inside and outside the gates.
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Theanne Herrmann
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Tatiana Abasolo, a member of the Air Force Reserves 624th Aeromedical Staging Squadron, provides instruction on how to properly secure a patient for movement during an aeromedical staging and aerial port training at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, March 3, 2019. The event was a collaborative effort to build working relationships between the Hawaii Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve and focused on both medical and aerial port functions, to include enroute patient care and staging, and cargo preparation and loading.
President signs executive order calling up Air Force Reserve medics, other specialties By Air Force Reserve Command
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, GA. (AFNS) --
On March 27, the president signed an executive order authorizing mobilization of the Reserve Component in response to COVID-19 operations. For the Air Force Reserve, personnel already serving in the Selected Reserve and Participating Individual Ready Reserve, as well as those assigned to the Individual
Ready Reserve, may be asked to volunteer to activate in support of COVID-19 response. If taskings exceed the volunteer pool, involuntary mobilization of the SELRES and IRR to active status is now authorized to ensure mission accomplishment. “The Air Force Reserve stands ready to surge in support of COVID-19 response,” said Lt. Gen. Richard Scobee, chief of the Air Force Reserve and commander of the Air Force Reserve Command.
“This is an unprecedented mission and COVID-19 is a destructive adversary — we must do all we can to take care of Americans.” In addition, command and control elements, logistics personnel and other career fields may also be asked to volunteer and potentially mobilize as future taskings for specific skill sets, capabilities and requirements are received through the Force Generation Center. For now, medical personnel are at the top of the list to assist in
U.S. Northern Command operations to contain the spread of COVID-19 and care for Americans affected. Required personnel will be contacted through command channels about their willingness to volunteer and to receive notification of mobilization as operations progress. Currently-serving medical reservists willing to volunteer for mobilization should email HQAFRC.SG.AFRCPHEOs@us.af.mil to self-identify their availability. “I know our reserve citizen Airmen will answer our nation’s call during this challenging time with professionalism, patriotism and the required expertise to take care of Americans. It is my responsibility to care for our citizen Airmen and families while we execute this ultimate mission,” Scobee said.
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Senior Master Sgt. Dan Farrell
Louisiana Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Jonathan McClellan processes nasal swabs from patients during a drive-through community based COVID-19 testing site located at Louis Armstrong Park, New Orleans, La., March 20, 2020.
LOGISTICIANS MAKE COVID-19 FIGHT POSSIBLE By Jim Garmone DOD NEWS
Joint Staff logisticians are working around the clock to help civilian authorities deal with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Air Force Lt. Gen. Giovanni Tuck, the Joint Staff’s logistics director, said his small organization in the Pentagon is working with U.S. Transportation Command and U.S. Northern Command to ensure the right people are where they need to be, that they have the right equipment, and that the material that civilian health care providers need is delivered to them. “We’re all in on this,” Tuck told Pentagon reporters via a telephone briefing. The general reiterated the Defense Department’s three priorities in dealing with COVID-19: protecting the health of the people, maintaining mission readiness and supporting the whole-of-government effort. Up and
down the line, logistics personnel are working overtime to ensure these priorities are met, he said. Tuck’s organization receives the requirements from the combatant commands and the services. The requests for the Navy hospital ships USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort to go to Los Angeles and New York, respectively, went through the organization. “We had a hand in making sure that the medical component of that, as well as the sustainment of those two vessels, were indeed being looked after,” Tuck said. The office also worked on establishing Army field hospital support in Washington state and New York. They are working with the services, Transcom and Northcom to transport and sustain Navy expeditionary medical facilities in Dallas and New Orleans. The sailors will report to treatment facilities being established at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans and the Kay Bailey
Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. DOD is also delivering ventilators – the most effective treatment for those who come down with COVID-19 – where they need to be. DOD has earmarked 2,000 ventilators to the Department of Health and Human Services. “As of last night, talking to the logistical folks that helped in Health and Human Services, we have 1,000 that we are going to put in a prepare-to-deploy order, because that’s what they’re asking for,” Tuck said. “If they need the full complement of 2,000, we’re able to support.” DOD has already delivered 2 million of the 5 million N-95 respirator masks. The department stands ready to deliver more when HHS asks, the general said. The Air Force has flown a number of “test swab” missions from Memphis, Tenn., to Italy. “Each mission has run about 500,000 apiece, we’ve
done six of eight missions, so 3 million or 4 million delivered,” Tuck said. “Again, those are helping Health and Human Services.” Finally, the organization is working with State Department officials to get Americans overseas home. The office is working closely with Transcom for these flights. “Our job was basically to help get the authorities access for basing and overflight,” he said. These are Civil Reserve Air Fleet carriers, although the department also uses Air Force planes in some areas, such as U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility, where there are established flights with space aboard. “We can put Department of State personnel, their families, American citizens, legal permanent residents on those airplanes,” the general said. “We’ve done nine missions to date.” Combating COVID-19 “is the most important thing that’s on our plate,” the general said. “We’re working on not only those things, but we’re working on personal protective equipment, more on medical testing … along with a myriad of things that I hadn’t mentioned.”
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Sgt. Fletcher King
The 531st Hospital Center, based at Fort Campbell, deployed today to New York as part of the US Army support to the COVID crisis. The 531st provides a wide array of medical capability including emergency medicine and surgical capability. They are well trained, well led, and well equipped, and the 300 plus Soldiers that make up the unit are absolute professionals.
JOINT STAFF OPS OFFICIAL BREAKS DOWN DOD AID TO FIGHT CORONAVIRUS BY JIM GARAMONE, DOD NEWS The Defense Department is going all out to support civilian agencies confronting the COVID-19 pandemic, the vice director of operations for the Joint Staff said. Air Force Maj. Gen. Jeff Taliaferro told Pentagon reporters in a teleconference yesterday that the hospital ship USNS Mercy has begun admitting patients and conducting surgeries in Los Angeles. The USNS Comfort arrived in New York yesterday and will begin seeing patients today. Sailors look at the New York City skyline as their ship arrives. Taliaferro emphasized that the Navy hospital ships are designed to treat casualties in war zones. The medical personnel treat trauma patients in close quarters on the 1,000bed ships and are not really optimized for infectious disease, he said. ‘’So, that’s why the operational concept is that they kind of take that
trauma and acute care capacity off of the local hospitals where it’s much, much more effective to treat infectious disease.‘’ The Army has deployed personnel to New York and Seattle, and they are working in Federal Emergency Management Agency hospitals. In New York, they are helping to staff the treatment facility in the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. In Seattle, they are staffing a facility at the CenturyLink Field Event Center. ‘’To speed our response, we flew the medical specialists ahead to be able to fall in and start working immediately while their traditional equipment is a few days behind,‘’ Taliaferro said. Soldiers board a commercial aircraft. In New York, there are 45 patients at the Javits Center, he said. That number is expected to rise quickly, according to New York officials. Taliaferro also noted that Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper deployed a Navy expeditionary medi-
cal facility, splitting the unit between Dallas and New Orleans. Medical personnel are flying to the cities and will begin operations as soon as possible, he added. Nationwide, close to 15,000 National Guardsmen are supporting the effort. Esper has approved federal funding for the state missions these soldiers and airmen are performing. The general said DOD is totally in support of FEMA, which is leading this whole-of-government effort and will help where it can and where it makes sense. He noted that DOD has around 1,300 hospital beds, whereas the rest of the country has nearly a million beds. Soldiers set up cots in a gym. DOD can make a difference with expeditionary facilities, and it is mobilizing those capabilities, Taliafero said. ‘’We’re challenged to generate large capacities,‘’ he added. ‘’We’re still working hard to be part of the solution quickly and proactively, but always in partnership with FEMA.‘’ Taliaferro said the department is
calling up medical professionals from reserve component units, but the services must be deliberate. Many of the doctors, nurses, X-ray technicians and other medical personnel who are in the reserve components also work at local hospitals, and they are already on the front line of the fight against COVID-19. It doesn’t make sense to call these folks to duty in the middle of the pandemic, the general said. Medics treat a patient. He noted that all military installations are at least at Force Health Protection Condition Charlie, meaning the threat is substantial because of sustained community transmission. ‘’But it’s also important that commanders tailor any additional measures to their specific needs, because every mission is different,‘’ he said. Where commanders have found additional risks in the environments, they have taken additional countermeasures. ‘’Where missions are different, different risks have to be accepted. … Crew members in an airplane are going to have to get closer together,‘’ Taliaferro said. ‘’That’s just the way it is to get our mission done.‘’
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Staff Sgt. Steven Tucker
Spc. Zorina Molina (left), 143rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion culinary specialist, and Spc. Rakeem Lewis, 1048th Medium Truck Company transportation specialist, organize boxes containing personal protective equipment at a warehouse in New Britain, Connecticut, March 30, 2020.
DOD MOUNTS MULTIFACETED RESPONSE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC By David Vergun
DOD NEWS
The Defense Department is rapidly ramping up its efforts to fight COVID-19 and assist federal, state and local governments in their efforts. Some of DOD’s activities include: New York The Army Corps of Engineers alternate care facility, constructed at the Javits Convention Center in New York City, is now fully operational. The temporary hospital can hold up to 2,910 beds, relieving some of the demand placed on local hospitals. Also, the hospital ship USNS Comfort docked in New York City yesterday and began taking patients today. A hospital ship sails under a bridge, accompanied by smaller boats. The ship’s medical team will be providing a broad spectrum of medical care, allowing local hospitals to concentrate their efforts on COVID-19 patients.
California The hospital ship USNS Mercy is docked in Los Angeles; the medical team began seeing its first patients March 29. The ship’s personnel care for trauma and acute care patients and can also perform surgeries, freeing local hospitals to focus on COVID-19 patients. Also in Los Angeles, National Guardsmen are setting up a medical shelter at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The Guard has set up two other medical shelters elsewhere in the state. Washington, D.C. District of Columbia National Guard members mobilized March 24 to support multiple civilian agencies, including Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office, the D.C. Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and the Metropolitan Police Department. The Guard is currently manning street closure checkpoints and will
provide support for medical screening, transportation, logistics and other duties, as needed. Connecticut The Connecticut National Guard is providing logistical support for the state’s health care system by assisting in distribution of personal protective equipment, medical supplies and medical equipment. The Guard is also erecting shelters with electricity that will be used for COVID-19 patients. South Carolina South Carolina National Guardsmen are transporting personal protective equipment and other supplies to the 46 counties in the state to support the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. Pennsylvania Members of the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team and the 111th Attack Wing are supporting the Pennsylvania National Guard in a variety of missions including providing a Montgomery County community-
based testing site with medical staff. They are also providing logistics support for the creation of the 250 nonacute-patient Federal Emergency Management Agency medical station at the Glen Mills School, in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Texas and Michigan The Army Corps of Engineers today began the initial planning and assessment for the possible conversion of existing buildings into alternate care sites throughout the two states. These actions, which are under the direction of FEMA, are part of eight mission-critical assignments to address possible medical facility shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The conversion projects are expected to cost $1.1 billion. Across the United States and U.S. Military Abroad The Defense Threat Reduction Agency is helping to deliver 3 million COVID-19 test kit swabs in support of U.S. medical professionals stateside, and military members in Europe. The Defense Logistics Agency will spend $84.4 million to buy 8,000 ventilators with an initial delivery of 1,400 by early May.
Crystal Housman/
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. William Kellogg, of the 146th Civil Engineer Squadron in the California Air National Guard's 146th Airlift Wing, puts sheets on a hospital bed while setting up a Federal Medical Station, March 29,
Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Bre
Hospitalman Alfredo Aguilar, from Passaic, N.J., takes inventory of the medical supplies aboard the hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) March 30. Mercy deployed in support of the nation's COVID-19 response efforts, and will serve as a referral hospital for non-COVID-19 patients currently admitted to shore-based hospitals. This allows shore base hospitals to focus their efforts on COVID-19 cases. One of the Department of Defense's missions is Defense Support of Civil Authorities.
Senior Airman Wilfredo Acosta
Pennsylvania National Guard troops stage their gear at Montgomery County's first mass coronavirus test center in Upper Dublin Township on March 20. Approximately 80 PA Guard members worked with local, state and federal authorities to open a drivethrough testing location at Temple UniversityAmbler Campus.
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Dental Command shifts gears to support COVID-19 efforts By Kirk Frady SEMBACH KASERNE, GERMANY
The recent COVID-19 outbreak across Europe and the curtailment of most non-emergency dental care in Army dental clinics is causing leaders to shift their military assets where they are needed most. In the case of Army dental personnel, many have been given a new mission -- to assist in Army medical clinics across the theater. Col. (Dr.) Manuel Pozo-Alonso, commander of Dental Health Command Europe, said, “We currently have 49 dental personnel, which is a little more than 19 percent of our active duty force, providing medical support until the mission is complete.” Dental personnel are providing a variety of services in support of the Medical Treatment Facilities and Army Health Clinics throughout the region. “This includes; 24-hour on-call providers, initial screenings, tracing teams, runners and administrative duties,” Pozo-Alonso said. “We also have a dentist serving as a liaison officer to the U.S. European Command in Stuttgart.” The Army dentist tasked to provide this function to EUCOM is Maj. (Dr.) Dmitry Baron, a board-certified periodontist normally assigned to the Stuttgart Army Dental Clinic. “As a liaison officer to EUCOM, my primary mission is to ensure there is synchronization and coordination of effort between Regional Health Command Europe and EUCOM to effectively and quickly combat the spread of COVID-19,” Baron said. “This is important in ensuring critical resources are utilized efficiently, and we’re able to support all of our combatant commands.” Infection control and prevention in healthcare settings is playing an even more important role considering the
rapid spread of COVID-19 across the globe. “I have been involved with infection control and prevention for nearly four years,” Baron said. “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and recommendation for the dental setting are changing continually; all for the sake of keeping the dental healthcare professional and patient safe, especially in the midst of COVID-19.” Baron says it’s important to know how to communicate these policies and procedures effectively, to encourage both interest and buy-in. “The lessons I have taken from my experience as an infection control and prevention officer directly bridges into what I am currently doing as a liaison officer -- building effective communication between Regional Health Command Europe and U.S. European Command,” he said. As a result of the recent reduction or elimination of routine services in Army dental clinics across Europe, it is important that beneficiaries do their part to ensure good oral health is maintained. “This is the perfect opportunity to optimize dental care at home,” PozoAlonso said. “Avoiding sugary foods, sweets, staying away from hard foods, chewing on ice, popcorn kernels, etc., and flossing and brushing at least twice a day will ensure optimal oral health is maintained. This will hopefully prevent, or minimize, the need for dental treatment until routine dental services can be restored.” Pozo-Alonso added, “However, if you feel you have a real dental emergency, or are in severe pain, call your local Army dental clinic so a dental provider can get a clear picture of your particular situation. If the dental provider establishes the need for treatment, you will be scheduled for an appointment to have your dental emergency addressed.”
Courtesy Photo
A dental specialist wipes down equipment at Kleber Army Health Clinic. Dental Health Command Europe currently has more than 40 of its dental personnel supporting Army health clinics across Europe in the fight against COVID-19.
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Craig Rodarte
Navy Reserve sailors check in at the pierside entry control point for Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort in Norfolk, Va., March 25, 2020. More than 120 Reserve volunteers were selected to support the Comfort's deployment to New York City.
TRUMP, ESPER SEND OFF USNS COMFORT TO JOIN NEW YORK'S COVID-19 FIGHT BY TERRI MOON CRONK, DOD NEWS The United States is at war with an invisible enemy in the coronavirus, President Donald J. Trump said from the dock at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, where he and Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper saw off the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort as it left for New York City to join the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are marshalling the full power of the American nation — economic, scientific, medical and military — to vanquish the virus,” Trump said at today’s departure ceremony. “I’m here to express my profound gratitude to the dedicated service members who will soon be on the front lines of this fight.” The Comfort will join the tens of thousands of doctors, nurses and medical professionals who are battling to save American lives, the president said. “This great ship behind me is a 70,000-ton message of hope
and solidarity to the incredible people of New York,” he added. The Comfort leaves for New York fully equipped with 12 operating rooms, with hospital beds, a medical laboratory, a pharmacy, an optometry lab, digital radiology, a CAT scan, two oxygen-producing plants and a helicopter deck, the president noted. “It also bears our military’s greatest weapon, … a crew of nearly 1,200 outstanding members of the U.S. Navy, and I thank them very much,” Trump said. “Among the sailors departing today are some of the finest doctors, nurses, technicians, orderlies and medical staff anywhere in the world. These are true professionals, and no one performs better under pressure when lives are on the line.” The Comfort has the unwavering support of the entire nation, the president said. After being rushed out of maintenance with historic speed, the Comfort was supposed to be ready in four weeks, yet it was ready in four days, he said.
Meanwhile, the nation’s governors have been empowered with the resources to call up the National Guard and authorize the activation of ready reserves, Trump said. Esper thanked the president for his leadership and said the U.S. military is “all in on this national emergency.” The Defense Department is focused on three priorities, Esper said. The first is protecting service members, civilians and their families. “We are committed to taking all necessary measures to safeguard the well-being of our most important resource: our people,” the secretary said. Esper said the second priority is remaining prepared to carry out core national security missions and to defend the United States against any threat. Third, he said, DOD is “continuing to support President Trump’s wholeof-government, whole-of-nation response to the coronavirus.” “For several weeks, the Department of Defense has been surging person-
nel, capabilities and equipment to help slow the spread of the virus,” Esper said. “Thousands of National Guard troops are mobilized across the country conducting a variety of essential tasks ranging from planning to logistics to medical support.” Active-duty units are moving critical supplies, equipment and medical personnel to some of the nation’s most heavily impacted areas, the secretary said, adding that DOD’s worldclass doctors and scientists are at the forefront of infectious disease research, working alongside government and private-sector efforts to accelerate a vaccine and therapeutics for the virus. “And now, in this great time of need, the president has directed the deployment of our nation’s most powerful symbols of medical care and compassion: the Navy’s two hospital ships, the Mercy and the Comfort,” the secretary said. The Comfort will arrive in New York on March 30, and will begin treating patients the next day. It will handle trauma cases and other emergencies, allowing civilian hospitals to devote more resources to COVID-19 patients.
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SPACE FORCE IDENTIFIES USAF MISSIONS FOR TRANSFER TO NEWEST SERVICE By Maj. William Russell
U.S. SPACE FORCE PUBLIC AFFAIRS ARLINGTON, VA.
In a significant step that enhances the U.S. Space Force’s capabilities and development, the Department of the Air Force has identified 23 U.S. Air Force organizations whose space-related missions will soon transfer to the Space Force. Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett, in conjunction with Chief of Space Operations Gen. John “Jay” Raymond and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David Goldfein, directed the transfer which entails shifting space missions from Air Force organizations into the newest military branch. Currently, Space Force is comprised primarily of units which previously fell under the former Air Force Space Command prior to the service’s establishment on Dec. 20, 2019. According to Space Force officials, the goal is to have each of the 23 space missions formally transferred from the Air Force into the Space Force within the next three to six months based on timing and conditions specific to each organization and mission. The CSAF and CSO have been delegated the authority to actually execute the transfer when they jointly agree the necessary conditions have been met to affect a smooth transfer. This transfer plan does not include the physical movement of units or billets to a different geographic location, nor does it include moving any of the people assigned to units. The missions and billets will simply be transferred to the Space Force and remain in place to leverage the talent, infra-
United States Space Force
U.S. Space Force organizes, trains, and equips space forces in order to protect and defend U.S. and allied interests in space and to provide space capabilities to the joint force.
structure, and key capabilities at their current location. The mission transfers are aligned with the White House’s Space Policy Directive-4 vision, which calls for the Space Force to “consolidate existing space forces and authorities for military space activities.” “Building the U.S. Space Force represents a top priority for the Department of the Air Force,” said Barrett. “These mission transfers incorporate existing forces into the agile Space Force, which stands ready to defend American and allied interests.” The list of affected units emerged from analysis and planning by Department of the Air Force planners who determined that transferring these missions would play a critical role in directly supporting space missions and related operational capabilities. Approximately 1,840 Air Force billets will be transferred into the Space Force from across the 23 units. Importantly, while the mission transfers will change the alignment of units themselves from the Air Force to the Space Force, these actions will not constitute a change in service for the people assigned. In the near term, military personnel will remain in the Air Force, although assigned to a unit in the Space Force. In the coming months, and when appropriate provisions are in place as part of a separate
process, military members who meet applicable criteria will be given the opportunity to volunteer to transfer to the Space Force. If they choose not to transfer, they will remain in the Air Force and assigned to the Space Force unit until their normal assignment rotation is complete, at which time they will be moved to an assignment within the Air Force. The status of civilians, as Department of the Air Force employees, is unchanged. Whether serving in Air Force or Space Force billets, civilians will remain DAF employees and have the ability to remain in their current positions, or apply for other positions across the department. As the stand-up of the Space Force continues, additional space missions may be identified for transfer, which will be coordinated and approved by separate action. The following locations have been identified for a transfer action: 17th Test Squadron, Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado 18th Intel Squadron, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 25th Space Range Squadron, Schriever AFB, Colorado 328th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nevada 527th Space Aggressor Squadron, Schriever AFB, Colorado 705th Combat Training Squadron OL-A, Schriever AFB, Colorado
7th Intel Squadron, Ft. Meade, Maryland* 16th AF/Advanced Programs*, JBSA Lackland, Texas 32nd Intel Squadron, Ft. Meade, Maryland* 566th Intel Squadron, Buckley AFB, Colorado* 544th ISR Group Staff & Detachment 5, Peterson AFB, Colorado Detachment 1, USAF Warfare Center, Schriever AFB, Colorado 533rd Training Squadron, Vandenberg AFB, California National Security Space Institute, Peterson AFB, Colorado AFRL Research Lab Mission Execution, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio* AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico* AFRL Rocket Propulsion Division, Edwards AFB, California* AFRL Space Electro-Optics Division, Maui, Hawaii & Kirtland AFB, New Mexico* AFRL Sensors Directorate, WrightPatterson AFB, Ohio* Counter-Space Analysis Squadron, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio Space Analysis Squadron, WrightPatterson AFB, Ohio Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center Detachment 4, Peterson AFB, Colorado Air Force Safety Center - Space Safety Division, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico
www.peninsulawarrior.com • Peninsula Warrior - Air Force • April 3, 2020
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TRANSCOM LOOKS FOR WAYS TO SAFELY MOVE COVID-19 PATIENTS By C. Todd Lopez
DOD NEWS
Last week, U.S. Transportation Command was responsible for moving a patient with COVID-19 from Djibouti, Africa, to Landstuhl, Germany, for medical treatment. Moving a contagious patient isn’t easy, Transcom’s commander said, but efforts are underway to make it safer. “The movement of a highly contagious patient is a much different challenge,” Army Gen. Stephen R. Lyons told reporters via teleconference today. “We are also working ... to increase our capacity to be able to meet these kind of requirements, because we know they’re increasing.” Patients with COVID-19 can be moved in an air ambulance or with a transportation isolation system, which was designed in response to the Ebola outbreak in 2014, but those systems have limited capacity, he said. So, additional work is being done in partnership with the Air Force, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, NASA and other agencies to find additional ways for air crews to safely move COVID-19 patients. “We’re working with scientists ... to really study the aircraft circulation flow and the implications of the movement of those particulates and potential impacts on crews, so that we can indeed move COVID-positive patients and passengers without an isolation unit while adequately protecting the crew,” Lyons said. “We think we’re making some progress.” Transcom also has adapted operations in other ways in the face of COVID-19, Lyons said. For instance, it’s not possible for air crews to telework, nor is it possible for those same crews to practice social distanc-
Air Mobility Command Public Affa/
Air crew from Travis Air Force Base and the 164th Airlift Wing unload COVID-19 testing swabs at the Memphis Air National Guard Base in Memphis, Tennessee, March 19. Approximately 500,000 testing swabs and supplies were flown from Aviano Air Base, Italy, to the FedEx hub in Memphis, Tennessee, to be distributed to medical facilities across the U.S.
ing while on board. Nevertheless, precautions are being taken to ensure continued health and safety of crews — something Lyons called “isolation in motion.” “When you’re in the cockpit, there’s no way to get 6 feet apart,” Lyons said. “The way that we’re managing our flight crews is unique in many ways, ... where we billet them is controlled, where they eat from, their food is delivered. So, we’re trying to create a very concerted cocoon, if you would, over our entire flight crew apparatus. And ... that seems to be working to date. It allows us to continue [the] mission and protect the force at the same time.” Air crews arrive at a destination and move directly to their temporary housing, and then they don’t leave until it’s time to depart on the next mission, Lyons said. They don’t go out to eat, he said, and they don’t leave the installation. “Even inside that base, they’re very, very controlled,” he said. “That’s the way we’re managing that.” While Transcom is still running its
standard mission set, those missions have been augmented by new takings related to coronavirus. “We are supporting the State Department and their Task Force Repatriation effort,” he said. “We have moved things in support of Health and Human Services, for example, [coronavirus] test swabs across the globe. We’ve helped to move field hospitals that you see being built in places like New York and in the state of Washington where we’re pleased to help. We’re proud of all that we do every day.” Lyons said there is some concern about maintaining the mostly civilian-operated transportation capacity, which Transcom contracts with, to perform much of the transportation it facilitates for the Defense Department. Civilian airlines are struggling with the drop in commercial air travel that has come as a result of the pandemic, Lyons noted. “So, any opportunity we have to push workload in their direction, we’re doing that,” he said. “We’re doing that largely with repatriation efforts and other efforts of that sort.”
Additionally, Lyons said, as a result of reductions in movement for military personnel, many of the permanent changes of station that would happen in the summer might not happen. “I am very concerned, especially for our small-business partners that make up so much of the ... household goods moving industry,” he said. “You know, we’re very active in our communication both with the industry sector and the services who are managing the exception to policy on the moves to make sure we’re at least seeing things the same way in terms of managing expectations and workload.” Despite challenges with the coronavirus, Lyons said, Transcom is still ready to move whatever the DOD needs moved. “We’re still operating the global mobility enterprise,” he said. “We still must do that to maintain our level of readiness for the secretary, and, so, I believe we are doing that. I believe we are ready. I’ve reported to the secretary that we are ready to meet our mission requirements as they come.”
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www.peninsulawarrior.com • Peninsula Warrior - Air Force • April 3, 2020
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pa
The Honolulu District, US Army Corps of Engineers, Alternate Care Facility (ACF) assessment team in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services, the State of Hawaii, and Maui County conducted three hotel assessments for sites in Maui County.
CORPS OF ENGINEERS TEAMS EVALUATE SITES AS POSSIBLE ALTERNATE CARE FACILITIES By Brannen Parrish
At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers teams are evaluating facilities for possible conversion into alternate care facilities as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tulsa District has assembled field assessment teams tasked with evaluating existing sites and are working closely with FEMA and with state and local partners to best facilitate a quick response should the need arise to have additional alternate care facilities opened, officials said. “We are here to solve our nation’s greatest engineering challenges. We are committed to serving the citizens of our three states and doing what we can to get through this crisis,”
said Army Col. Scott Preston, Tulsa District commander. Nationwide, the Corps of Engineers has received eight FEMA mission assignments totaling about $1.1 billion and has engaged 15,000 personnel in the response effort. Information pertaining to specifications and implementation of the alternate care sites is available at https://www.usace.army.mil/Coronavirus/Alternate-Care-Sites/. Contractors with experience in build-out or retrofit of arenas, convention centers, dorms, hotels and similar buildings into alternate care space can send capability statements to: COVIDContracting@usace.army.mil. Officials emphasized that this email address is only for capability statements for firms interested in the build-out and retrofit of existing space into alternate care fa-
Preston Chasteen
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District alternate-care-facility site assessment team members assess a facility during a site visit on March 28, 2020.
cilities. Other vendors — such as for cleaning and disinfecting services, supplies, etc. — should register their firm at https://www.beta.SAM.gov to become part of the National Disaster Response Registry. During emergencies the Army
Corps of Engineers is the federal government’s lead public works and engineering support agency. Its extensive work in building medical facilities for its military stakeholders makes the organization uniquely qualified to tackle this engineering challenge, officials said.
www.peninsulawarrior.com • Peninsula Warrior - Air Force • April 3, 2020
Kristy Schoonmaker helps her daughter, Hailey, improve her reading skills at their home in Carthage, North Carolina, on March 11.
Mental health and coping during COVID-19 By Russell Toof SEMBACH, GERMANY
As an increasingly larger number of people are home due to telework and other COVID-19 restrictions, how does one focus on their mental health during a worldwide pandemic? “People are social animals and we’re used to being around others,” said Lt. Col. Emile Wijnans, the director of psychological health for Regional Health Command Europe. “If you’re feeling isolated, do what you
can to reach out to people on a regular basis. This is also an opportunity to reach out to folks that you haven’t touched base with in a long time.” According to the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, stressors during a period of social distancing/ quarantine can include: frustration and boredom related to the isolation, inadequate supplies and access to regular medical care, insufficient information, and fears about becoming infected and/or infecting others. “It’s very easy to have a mispercep-
tion of things,” said Wijnans. “I recommend you limit your exposure to social media and the news. You can alleviate stress by focusing on the things that are positive and what you can control.” The CSTS also recommends that people take time to take care of themselves. “It’s important to get what rest you can, eat well and exercise when possible,” said Wijnans. “These are normal things we tell people, but they really do in fact help.” Wijnans also has recommendations on how to support children during this time. “Maintain a structured schedule that they would be having at school,” he said. “Make sure to talk to you kids about coronavirus using fact-
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Alexandra Shea
“I recommend you limit your exposure to social media and the news. You can alleviate stress by focusing on the things that are positive and what you can control.” Lt. Col. Emile Wijnans based, science-based sources. Try to model for them a healthy response to what are uncertain circumstances.” For more information on how to support your health and well-being during COVID-19, visit https:// www.cstsonline.org/ or https:// www.cdc.gov/.
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www.peninsulawarrior.com • Peninsula Warrior - Air Force • April 3, 2020
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