Crowded unit formations, group PT, chow hall lines.
Events that used to be part of the ordinary rhythm of a service member’s day are now opportunities for a highly infectious virus to spread -- and it’s taking military commanders some time to adjust to the new normal.
During a virtual town hall broadcast from the Pentagon earlier this week, Defense Secretary Mark Esper invited troops to speak up if they saw unsafe health procedures, failures in social distancing, or anything else “that doesn’t make sense” taking place in their units.
He added, though, that social distancing was sometimes impossible, as for crews in a tank or on a submarine.
Still, reports continue to emerge of what appear to be unforced errors: crowded all-hands meetings to discuss health procedures and slow adaptation of new precautions, resulting in cases multiplying.
So now we’re asking you to speak up: What is happening at your unit? What stories about the unprecedented effort to contain coronavirus in the military have yet to be told? We want to hear from you.
Submit your anonymous tips via this form and let us know what you’re seeing. We won’t use any information without contacting you first and independently confirming. Your contribution may help inform future reporting.
