Pentagon reduces Ebola deployment estimates

2014-11-13T17:35:51-05:00

From: Marine Corps Times

The first wave of troops returning to the U.S. from deployment to West Africa arrived Thursday and have begun their 21-day quarantine at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, Pentagon officials said.

More than 80 troops, including 51 airmen, 27 sailors, four Marines and two soldiers, were to be screened for symptoms and transported to their quarters for the next three weeks — buildings in a remote area near the base's flight line that contain berthing areas, a dining facility, gym, computers, telephones and other equipment, said Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby.

The troops will be screened twice a day for symptoms of Ebola, Kirby added.

He said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel "is both proud and grateful for the service rendered by these men and women in the critically important mission of trying to stop the spread of Ebola at its source."

The troops have left a region that appears to be gaining an upper hand over the deadly disease, although the threat remains serious, said Army Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, 101st Airborne Division commander, and U.S. Ambassador to Liberia Deborah Malac in a press conference via Skype with reporters on Thursday.

The Pentagon has decreased its estimate of the number of troops needed to support Operation United Assistance, from 4,000 to 3,000 service members, and is slated to build just 12 of 17 planned Ebola treatment facilities, according to defense officials.

Volesky attributed the reductions to initial low estimates of resources already in place in Liberia and the fact that U.S. Agency for International Development personnel have made more progress in the response than expected.

But Malac said the mission remains critical. "The numbers of cases continue to increase. We are not out of the woods by any stretch of the imagination. Clearly, the rate of increase is much lower than it has been over the last couple of months. But we need to continue with the plan," she said.

About 2,200 U.S. service members are now in Liberia and Senegal participating in Operation United Assistance, according to Volesky.

Those troops have established a port operations and logistics center in Dakar, Senegal, built a hospital to treat health care workers in Monrovia and stood up a joint Ebola treatment facility, with "three or four" more to come in the next few weeks, Volesky said.

But the number of planned Ebola treatment facilities to be built now stands at 12, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict Michael Lumpkin told members of Congress on Wednesday.

Defense Department officials said the reduction reflects a request from USAID and the Liberian government but is subject to change if more are needed.

"We've always stated that DoD is prepared to build 'up to' 17," one official said.

While the rate of infection has declined in Liberia, neighboring Sierra Leone has seen a sharp increase, according to the World Health Organization.

The death toll stands at 5,147 cases, with 14,068 people infected in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.

Defense officials have said the deployment to West Africa for Operation United Assistance could last more than six months.

On Thursday, Lumpkin defended Hagel's decision to quarantine all U.S. service members returning from the mission before the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The move is far more restrictive than Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for travelers from West Africa and health care workers who treated Ebola patients. But Lumpkin called it prudent, given the "scope and scale" of the mission.

"We have the youngest and largest population of personnel deploying to this crisis," Marine Corps Maj. Gen. James Lariviere told members of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday. "We decided to take this conservative approach. It's not that we know something everyone else does not."

Service members returning from West Africa will be sequestered at one of five bases in the U.S.: Fort Hood or Fort Bliss in Texas; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington; or Joint Base Langley-Eustis.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story/military/pentagon/2014/11/12/military-deployment-west-africa-ebola/18927905/

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 13 at 2014 5:57 PM

2014-11-13T17:57:23-05:00

Good news, no doubt. The dire predictions made a month or two ago about the possibility of hundreds of thousands of Ebola deaths in Africa seem to be proving NOT to be true, and that's the best news of all. I'll bet our military personnel are playing a part in that change with the treatment facilities they are constructing. Like Secretary Hegel, I am also proud and grateful for the service these guys and gals are performing.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Nov 13 at 2014 6:12 PM

2014-11-13T18:12:08-05:00

SSG V. Michelle Woods and those with you are all in our hearts. Stay safe and get back ASAP.

Response by MSG(P) Michael Warrick made Nov 13 at 2014 6:15 PM

2014-11-13T18:15:06-05:00

Good News to hear and prayerfully we have no Soldiers that will shows sign of affect of the Ebola !

Response by CPT Zachary Brooks made Nov 13 at 2014 8:04 PM

2014-11-13T20:04:33-05:00

Just saying.

Hey! What's that over there?!

Response by PO3 Brendan "Smitty" Smith made Nov 13 at 2014 9:27 PM

2014-11-13T21:27:35-05:00

I'm pleased the Ebola scare is dying down. I live in Dallas, 3 tenths of a mile from Presbyterian Hospital as the crow flies. It's a 5 minute walk. The stupid questions and endless snide remarks were getting old. I'd get phone calls from friends across the country that started off, "Dude, are you gonna die?" Really? Every time my allergies caused me to sneeze, someone would say, "Maybe it's Ebola." Really? I saw a woman walk into Target looking like she was in the middle of a MOPP 4 exercise. Really? I told her she had to shop at Walmart with the rest of the Walmartians. But, do you know what really pissed me off about all of this? We will now spend billions on a disease that kills a few thousand people across an ocean from us. Yet, we can't get funding, or proper treatment, to help prevent 22 veteran suicides each and every day. That's 5,000 per year.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 13 at 2014 11:16 PM

2014-11-13T23:16:07-05:00

I glad CPT Zachary Brooks was the one who said it. Everyone's fear that Ebola was going to spread was a little far fetched. In this situation, once we had boots on the ground, we got a better assessment of what's really going on over there

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 14 at 2014 2:27 AM

2014-11-14T02:27:32-05:00

A lot of people find it in bad taste when I make jokes about Ebola. Yes it is a very serious and deadly disease, but the chances of getting it are pretty damn low. I have gotten more dirty looks than I can count from people looking at me when I would cough and say "Oh, sorry, just got back from a trip to Africa." I think I may be a tad insensitive to some of the scare tactics people use to try and create mass hysteria.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 14 at 2014 6:55 AM

2014-11-14T06:55:54-05:00

When it was announced that troops were mobilizing to come here to help us sort out this mess, I was puzzled at all the outrage and downright panic being displayed by some. I was here in Liberia before the epidemic really took off and as the threat increased, so did our protective measures. Some of the protective measures are even a bit overboard, but hey, better safe than sorry. Either way, I stated before and stand by my position that sending troops here is a good thing, provided they are the right mixture of MOS, and that Ebola cases would be minimal, if any due to protective measures. While Liberia, and West Africa as a whole, is not out of the woods yet there has been progress made. There may be spikes in case numbers still to come but the Ebola Treatment Units being built will hopefully match capacity with need. Thankfully no Ebola infections to date with US service members, and as long as everyone follows directions it should stay that way.

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 14 at 2014 1:45 PM

2014-11-14T13:45:17-05:00

Some good news! I think the efforts, medical equipment and establishing a footprint in the region is a good thing. Should another outbreak occur then all the ground work already completed will be very useful for an even more rapid deployment and response. Make no mistake - Ebola did not go away - it's only contained for the time being.

Response by SSG V. Michelle Woods made Nov 14 at 2014 1:51 PM

2014-11-14T13:51:12-05:00

Great! Now can someone get me the hell outta Liberia???

Bottom line up front: Liberians really are doing what they can to help stop this from spreading. They have signs up everywhere informing people of where to go if they feel sick, signs and symptoms, as well as proper measures for decreasing the spread of Ebola.

They also have guards at many of the major shopping centers who require everyone to get their temperature checked before entering the building and rinse their hands with bleach water. Unlike other countries we've "helped", many Liberians are extremely grateful for our presence.