7 April
The US Army has announced plans to temporarily pause basic combat training for new recruits in a bid to slow down the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus in the armed forces. The pause will be last for a minimum of two weeks, following which the plan will be reviewed again, said General Paul E. Funk II, commander of the Army Training and Doctrine Command, during a Pentagon press briefing.
NATO foreign ministers have agreed to direct Air Force General Tod D. Wolters, the supreme allied commander in Europe, to coordinate the necessary military support to fight the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic to accelerate and boost assistance. Wolters has also been assigned the task of coordinating for on any additional capacity or stocks and is entrusted with matching requests for support with offers from allies and partners.
The US Army has stated that work on programmes including attack helicopters, hypersonic weapons and armoured infantry carrier for future war are all expected to be largely on on-track and delivery will be on time despite the coronavirus Covid-19 outbreak, reported Fox News, citing senior service leaders.
The US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases has commenced testing of a potential vaccine on animals against coronavirus. The Department of Defense is involved in five clinical vaccine trials and is supporting several counter coronavirus testing activities by other federal agencies.
