WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), in a letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper today highlighted concerns that the Department of Defense has not yet taken proactive steps to ensure the readiness of National Guard and Reserve units to support local civilian authorities should the COVID-19 pandemic continue to spread. Senator Duckworth served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years before retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2014.
“As you are aware, National Guard and Reserve engineering, medical, water purification and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) units have the capability to play a decisive role in combating the spread of the COVID-19 virus and helping communities weather and recover from any outbreak,” wrote Duckworth. “I am concerned that the readiness of these units has not been assessed in any systematic fashion to date and that potential preparations for them to activate have yet to be taken.”
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Duckworth also asked that representatives of the Department of Defense brief members of SASC on the status of the National Guard and Reserve’s preparations. The Senator also requested an assessment of individual unit readiness, equipment shortfalls and a concept of operation to stand up capabilities in communities before civilian health and emergency infrastructure is overwhelmed, as well as the status of ration stockpiles to help combat hunger among children should COVID-19 require schools to close for an extended period of time.
A full copy of the letter is available below and online here.
WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), in a letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper today highlighted concerns that the Department of Defense has not yet taken proactive steps to ensure the readiness of National Guard and Reserve units to support local civilian authorities should the COVID-19 pandemic continue to spread. Senator Duckworth served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years before retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2014.
“As you are aware, National Guard and Reserve engineering, medical, water purification and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) units have the capability to play a decisive role in combating the spread of the COVID-19 virus and helping communities weather and recover from any outbreak,” wrote Duckworth. “I am concerned that the readiness of these units has not been assessed in any systematic fashion to date and that potential preparations for them to activate have yet to be taken.”
Duckworth also asked that representatives of the Department of Defense brief members of SASC on the status of the National Guard and Reserve’s preparations. The Senator also requested an assessment of individual unit readiness, equipment shortfalls and a concept of operation to stand up capabilities in communities before civilian health and emergency infrastructure is overwhelmed, as well as the status of ration stockpiles to help combat hunger among children should COVID-19 require schools to close for an extended period of time.
A full copy of the letter is available below and online here.
