Military Response to Swine flu outbreak?

Morpheus

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/07/28/military.swine.flu/index.html

Military planning for possible H1N1 outbreak

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. military wants to establish regional teams of military personnel to assist civilian authorities in the event of a significant outbreak of the H1N1 virus this fall, according to Defense Department officials.

The proposal is awaiting final approval from Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

The officials would not be identified because the proposal from U.S. Northern Command's Gen. Victor Renuart has not been approved by the secretary.

The plan calls for military task forces to work in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. There is no final decision on how the military effort would be manned, but one source said it would likely include personnel from all branches of the military.

It has yet to be determined how many troops would be needed and whether they would come from the active duty or the National Guard and Reserve forces.

Civilian authorities would lead any relief efforts in the event of a major outbreak, the official said. The military, as they would for a natural disaster or other significant emergency situation, could provide support and fulfill any tasks that civilian authorities could not, such as air transport or testing of large numbers of viral samples from infected patients.

As a first step, Gates is being asked to sign a so-called "execution order" that would authorize the military to begin to conduct the detailed planning to execute the proposed plan.

Orders to deploy actual forces would be reviewed later, depending on how much of a health threat the flu poses this fall, the officials said.

Wonder if our forward thinking plutocrats have thought about this?

What could the army - regular and reserver - offer to augment the civilian response to a major outbreak here?

Last week alone, 500 people were diagnosed with swine flu in ireland.

Scary stories emerging in the papers about how we should expect further deaths from the virus, I think that we should be planning for every eventuality, not just sending out flu pills in the post!!!

BigDuffman

Some thing ominous about yanks signing an "execution order"....! Conspiracy nuts get those tin foil hats out.

Scrambled egg

With the widespread panic people take advantage of the situation and chance thier arm at illegal things like looting etc.

diverdriver

Kill em all! Well OK that maybe a bit tough. Kill some of them.

iceage

Let god sort out the rest. We shouldn't take the p!ss......














Should we?

Local-womanizer

iceage wrote: »

Let god sort out the rest. We shouldn't take the p!ss......














Should we?

If we dont laugh,all you can do is cry.

Of course I would say that as the fcukers havent got me yet!

BrianD

And what would the army do? Act as gofors and get your tamiflu from the local chemist?

Use of the army woud be a bad idea. You call up all these reserves, some of whom will come in with flu, it spreads wihin the barracks and then you mobilise the army into the community. Doesn't make sense.

How ny people get flu every year in Ireland? A lot more than the 500 cases of swine flu reported. Flu lasts about a week so most people are back on their feet again rapidly.

I can't see the break down of law and order. American society is kept in order by fear and their government and military love this kind of stuff. Creates a sense of fear.