https://crsreports.congress.gov
March 31, 2020
Overview: The Department of Defense and COVID-19
The Department of Defense (DOD) is one of many U.S.
government agencies participating in the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-led COVID-19
national response framework. As developments unfold,
interest has grown regarding what DOD might be able to
contribute to the U.S. government’s COVID-19 response.
On March 24, 2020, Secretary of Defense Esper stated that
DOD’s top COVID-19 priorities are protecting the Defense
Department’s people, maintaining military readiness, and
supporting the whole-of-government interagency response.
With respect to whole-of-government response, below is a
non-exhaustive survey of some DOD capabilities that might
be applied to the current situation if directed to do so.
What are DOD’s roles and missions with
respect to domestic pandemic response?
Although DOD is a supporting agency in the current
national response framework, the U.S. military has a
number of unique capabilities that might be applied to the
current circumstances, as well as sheer manpower capacity
to execute key tasks in a timely fashion. The mission set
that allows DOD to contribute to whole-of-government
crisis response is called Defense Support to Civil
Authorities (DSCA). Specific to pandemics, some roles and
missions for various DOD components are laid out in DOD
Instruction (DODI) 3025.24, DOD Public Health and
Medical Services in Support of Civil Authorities. These
include, but are not limited to the following:
The Undersecretary of Defense (Policy) provides
overall coordination for DOD support to DSCA and
interfaces with the National Security Council and other
agencies of government. In a health crisis, one of their
subordinates, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Homeland Defense and Global Security is responsible
for the day-to-day coordination of DOD’s contribution
to the federal response.
Combatant Commands (COCOMs) work with other
federal agencies to help plan for crises and provide
additional capacity and medical support. For example,
on February 13, 2020, General Terrence
O’Shaughnessy, commander of U.S. Northern
Command (NORTHCOM), testified before the Senate
Armed Services Committee that NORTHCOM had at
that point helped the Department of Health and Human
Services quarantine more than 600 individuals at
military facilities across the country, and that 11 DOD
facilities near major airports were on standby for
additional support if needed.
The National Guard. At the time of writing, elements
of the National Guard in 49 states, three territories, and
the District of Columbia have been activated. These
personnel are performing missions including, but not
limited to manning call centers, providing critical
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) training and
sample collection and delivery to first responders and
hospital personnel, helping local emergency managers
with their COVID-19 planning, and assisting with
disinfecting of common spaces.
The Defense Health Agency (DHA) is a Combat
Support Agency that enables the Army, Navy, and Air
Force medical services to provide a ready medical force
to Combatant Commands. According to DODI 3025.24,
DHA also assists federal government medical responses
by acting as an information clearinghouse between
relevant agencies and actors.
The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) works with other
U.S. government departments and agencies to facilitate
medical logistics support (e.g., the transportation of
personal protective equipment, doctors, and nurses) to
and between critical areas.
What can DOD contribute to COVID-19
diagnostics, vaccines, and other medical
countermeasures?
DOD has capabilities to protect troops and military assets
from chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear
(CBRN) threats, some of which are supporting the current
COVID-19 response. Key components within DOD that
have relevant biological defense responsibilities and
initiatives include the following:
Defense Labs. Military laboratories conduct research
and development of surveillance technologies, vaccines,
diagnostics, and other medical countermeasures. For
example, the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of
Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick, MD,
and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
(WRAIR) in Silver Spring, MD, are working to develop
and test potential vaccines for COVID-19. The National
Center for Medical Intelligence (NCMI) examines
worldwide health threats, infectious disease,
environmental health risks, biotechnology development,
foreign medical capabilities, and biomedical subjects.
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency is a combatant
command support agency that provides science,
technology, and capability development investments in
countering weapons of mass destruction, including
biological events. DTRA coordinated an airlift of a half
a million COVID-19 diagnostic kits to the United States
in mid-March.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
funds research such as advanced vaccine development
and medical countermeasures that are being applied to
the current response. Since 2017, DARPA’s Pandemic
Prevention Platform (P3) program has been working to
develop a rapid response that would produce “relevant
