Pentagon Dispatches 101st Airborne to Africa to Tackle Ebola

[AnalystInParadise]

Source: Time

While the U.S. military has dispatched some 1,600 troops to Iraq in recent weeks to deal with the threats posed by Islamic militants there, it apparently was saving its big guns for a more insidious threat: the Ebola virus.

On Tuesday, the Pentagon announced it will soon have about 1,600 troops in western Africa dealing with the spreading scourge—and that nearly half of them will come from the Army’s storied 101st Airborne Division.

“It’s not an armed threat,” Rear Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, said of the Ebola virus Tuesday. But “just like any other threat, we take it very, very seriously.” While U.S. troops will not be tending to those infected with the disease, he said, they will be “trained on personal protective equipment and on the disease itself…we’ll make sure that they’ve got the protection that they need.”


Read more: http://time.com/3452703/ebola-101st-airborne-africa/

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With this deployment, 5 of the Army's 10 Division Command Posts are deployed. (2nd ID Korea, 1st ID going to Iraq, 101st to Liberia, 10th Mountain and 4th ID in Afghanistan. 1st Armored is on Homeland Defense Duty, 25th is the Global Disaster Response Force. This means that from a Command and Control perspective only 3rd Infantry Division, 82nd Airborne, and 1st Cav Division's remain the only Command And Control nodes available to respond to any other crisis. This Army is starting to get stretched thin again from a C2 perspective. YEESH!!!

[Sopkoviak]

1. They damn well better have "personal protection equipment"

Including bullets in their weapons.

[AnalystInParadise]

2. I am concerned they won't

The units in FORSCOM (Forces Command) are not exactly prepared for this, they are warfighters, not disease fighters. I have a bad feeling about this.

[pinto]

5. I think it's probably infrastructure support, not front line medical care.

The regions most impacted have limited nuts and bolts set up to meet the needs of communities.

[AnalystInParadise]

6. The Army has Medical Brigades

to address those issues. In fact there are several of them down in San Antonio at Fort Sam Houston. The 101st is a WARFIGHTING UNIT, less than one year back from Afghanistan, meaning that most of the personnel in the unit are fresh off of a COMBAT DEPLOYMENT. If you wanted to send a humanitarian package, you would not send a unit that is less than a year removed from heavy combat against the Taliban in RC-East. Again this feels like a something else.

[AllyCat]

23. I did not know this. Thank you for your informed perspective

Keeping order?

[1dogleft]

16. so do I

what is there function supposed to be for this

[jwirr]

29. I would assume that this would be the Engineers since they are going to do such things as build

hospitals and such. They will also have their own medical units to take care of health problems. I am not so worried about them not knowing what they are doing there. I am glad that they will have all the equipment they need. We sent one army to war without armor that is enough.

[pinto]

4. What do you mean "bullets in their weapons" ?

I'm missing your point.

[Sopkoviak]

7. What I mean is that there has been some speculation that because this is a "humanitarian" mission

That the soldiers might not be armed.

They are being deployed to an area of the world where burial details and humanitarian workers are being attacked by panicking people and infected people are being dragged out of the medical facilities by family members.

Just saying that our people better be armed.

[jwirr]

30. I think I agree with you. Panic can get out of hand. While you are building a hospital someone has

to watch your back.

[AnalystInParadise]

8. Honestly Pinto

I hope they are also going in fully armed. I have bad memories of almost getting swarmed over when I went to Haiti in the mid 1990's and without our Humvees firing their .50 Cal's over the heads of the locals, there would have been several American dead soldiers as a result of those poor desperate people that were trying to overpower us to get at out food and supplies.

[pinto]

9. Thanks for your personal background.

I hope it's not that kind of situation.

[roguevalley]

13. this is the first pandemic of the crappy world we are now entering

pandemic illness is part and parcel of global climate change

[Demeter]

15. This is more due to economic warfare than "climate change"

[quadrature]

18. the war in Libya --> Mali ...

(sarcasm)

the war in Libya --> coup in Mali-->
General unrest in the area,-->
food shortages due to war -->
fruitbat, its whats for dinner.
did not cause Ebola

it was economic warfare.

[jwirr]

31. Can you give me a better understanding of the economic war that is going on in that area of Africa?

All of the things you can cause a situation where disease flourishes. Why is it not all of the above?

[quadrature]

36. short term...the war against Ghadaffi started the troubles ...

not sarcasm, this is my opinion.

long term, some people think that the peoples
of Africa are having their resources stolen,
I will leave that discussion for some other time.

short term. the troubles were made
Much Worse by this chain of events-->

war against Ghadaffi, --> weapons everywhere -->
coup/civil war in Mali -->
unrest and war everywhere in the region -->
food shortages --> people eat fruitbat -->
Ebola

[jwirr]

37. Okay I understand that. A good book that helps people understand these interlinked situations is

"Bread for the World". It is also an organization that lobbies for hunger issues but the book really makes it clear how this happens. And if we (the whole world) do not start learning this is going to take all of us down. What happens in Africa happens to us also.

[KoKo]

26. AFRICOM.....Our Huge Command & Control Base in Italy

Great way to get "boots on the ground." Send in the military under guise of fighting Ebola..

Once troops are there....they don't leave.

Cynical? Yes...there's reason to be skepital after our track record.

[KansDem]

19. Well, hell yes they'll have "personal protection equipment!" Oh, wait...

Troops sent to Iraq without sufficient body armour

Never mind...

[pinto]

3. +1

[Marrah_G]

10. It says they are from a headquarters unit

"700-strong headquarters unit from the 101st would head to Liberia by the month’s end to help coordinate the response to the epidemic."

[AnalystInParadise]

12. And?

Your point?

[Marrah_G]

17. Just that it seems like a very appropriate use of talent?

And perhaps people didn't realize that the 101st had so many different types of units?

[mwrguy]

11. Seabees went in last week

[TeamPooka]

14. The only thing that can stop ebola is a good guy with a gun. nt

[Turborama]

20. And if that doesn't work, I guess the only other option is to...

it.

[hobbit709]

21. 101st Airborne? Are they planning on shooting Ebola to death?

[jwirr]

33. They are going to build hospitals, coordinate the response to this crisis, etc. It may not be their

first line of work but who else are you going to send to help stop this illness from going much further? Other countries are also responding. This is a world crisis.

[AllyCat]

22. Anyone else having a vision of Return of the Living Dead?

[Trillo]

24. I think this is a great idea.

A much better use of troops than killing people, imagine using them to save lives instead. I hope they'll all be safe, and that their efforts are successful. Maybe it will be a trend for the future, fewer bullets and more helping hands.

[alarimer]

25. Oh, let's just shoot all the ebola victims. That will keep it from spreading.

Do I really need this?

This strikes me as a spectacularly bad idea. Not a way to get them to trust us.

Send medical personnel and epidemiologists, nurses, etc. But guns and ammo? Turn it into a war zone? WTF.

[KoKo]

27. We can't let any opportunity go to waste when we can get "Boots on the Ground."

Especially in a crucial area like African Continent. Mining, Minerals, Oil and competition from China for "Development." A great opportunity under the guise of humanitarian relief. Same as always.

[seveneyes]

35. guns and ammo are for security

If you think it's not needed, ask the dead folks that were killed while trying to help fight Ebola.

[riverwalker]

28. I worry about experimental vaccines

Using our troops as guinea pigs to test some new Ebola vaccine.
Seems in Desert Storm they were given shit load of untested vaccines, resulting in Gulf War Syndrome.
Big Pharma must be drooling at the potential $$ in Ebola.

[jwirr]

34. Don't worry the pharmachutical companies have plenty of black people to experiment with already.

[AngryAmish]

32. Good. They can shoot the virus I guess.

[neverforget]

38. The units deploying are mostly medical, engineers and logistical. Link below to the story

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2014/10/03/u-s-military-force-fighting-ebola-virus-could-grow-to-4000-troops/

The Army plans to deploy 3,200 soldiers, service officials said Friday. Other units involved include the 101st Sustainment Brigade; the 86th Combat Support Hospital, 44th Medical Brigade; and a military police company with the 16th Military Police Brigade. All of those units are based at Fort Campbell, and will combine to provide medical, logistical and security support for the mission, known as Operation United Assistance.
......
The soldiers from Fort Hood include 500 soldiers from the 1st Medical Brigade, the 36th Engineer Brigade and the 85th Civil Affairs Brigade, officials said. Fort Carson will send about 160 soldiers from the 4th Engineer Battalion, and Fort Bragg will deploy 120 soldiers for engineering and public affairs. The 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives Command at Aberdeen will send 10 soldiers for laboratory work, and about 100 soldiers from Fort Benning, Fort Stewart and Fort Eustis will round out the force.

The units will begin deploying by late October, and may continue to through November, depending on the need and transportation available, Army officials said.

[pinboy3niner]

39. Thanks

I'd heard cable news reports Thursday morning that that engineers were included in the other portion of the deployments, not the 101st. It sounded like the Screaming Eages' "headquarters" deployment would be division-level support units like the Sustainment Brigade.

The local news organ covering Ft. Campbell also published a detailed report:

101st deploying to Liberia to fight Ebola epidemic
http://www.fortcampbellcourier.com/news/article_68d50d32-4a7a-11e4-9137-b3c8c53a732d.html

[AnalystInParadise]

40. So....

since each of those units has its own Command and Control Node, why is a warfighting command being sent. It is like sending a crate of grenades along with a shipment of vaccines. It makes no sense.

[neverforget]

41. Division HQ's command multiple brigades. Since there are multiple brigades and smaller units

being deployed, a division HQ is needed to coordinate those units. Brigades are commanded by Colonels so a general and his staff are needed to make sure the units are where they're supposed to be doing what they need too.

Link to US Army command structure:
http://www.army.mil/info/organization/unitsandcommands/oud/

[AnalystInParadise]

42. I work at a Division Command Post

I work at 1AD at Fort Bliss, that is why I keep posting. This is so illogical in force structure. Again, this unit is not configured for this mission. They are commands within MEDCOM that make sense, a CP of warfighters is illogical.

[neverforget]

43. What other higher unit HQ should coordinate the multiple brigades?

[AnalystInParadise]

44. Any of these RMC's would do nicely

The job of a Division CP (specifically the 101st) is to conduct Intelligence, Maneuver warfare and Command and Control for FORSCOM Brigades. The 101st exists within FORSCOM, not MEDCOM. Ergo it is highly illogical to retask the force structure and have a FORSCOM unit lead a MEDCOM mission. MEDCOM units train together and train with these RMC's as their higher headquarters. They do not train with FORSCOM units. Therefore there will be massive Command and Control challenges. This is not a criticism of PBO, but this is a clusterfuck.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Medical_Command

[neverforget]

45. From what I gather looking at the US Army website is that those MEDCOM's are garrison type

units that don't deploy. If these were all medical units deploying, I would agree with you. However, with a mix units such as these (medical, MP, engineers), I think an HQ such as the 101st is appropriate. Whether or not that this particular divisional HQ is the right one, I don't know. The JCS and US Army HQ made the call.

[AnalystInParadise]

46. And that is the scary part

This feels like a decision that was made because there were no other options.


But they are not in FORSCOM. That is the whole point. The COMS exist to plug in the right units to the right mission. MP's, Engineers, etc all have their own command structures. We are taking a FORSCOM WARFIGHTER UNIT and putting it in charge of a Humanitarian mission with units that have no experience working with each other. The JCS and The Pentagon are not exactly known for always making good decisions.