- The US military has halted most of the movement of its personnel in response to the spread of the coronavirus.
- But parts of the military have to keep moving as part of the US government's response to that pandemic.
- That includes the members of the mobility mission, who are moving supplies, equipment, and patients around the world.
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A 60-day stop-movement order from the Pentagon in late March, meant to help stem the spread of the coronavirus, threw the lives of many US military personnel into uncertainty, as it kept them from leaving for or returning from deployment or from traveling to new duty stations.
But the military remains a vital part of the US government's response to the pandemic, of which its mobility element, the air component in particular, has been a major part.
"There are critical missions that cannot stop," Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, the service's top uniformed officer, said last week. "I don't believe that we're going to get any relief, nor should we expect any relief, on the global mobility [mission]."
Transportation Command, which manages that mobility mission, has seen "a reduction in movements" as a result of that order, Army Gen. Stephen Lyons, head of that command, told reporters on March 31. "But we are also seeing a necessity to continue to operate for mission-essential tasks and operations."
Transportation Command is focused on protecting the force against the outbreak, maintaining mission readiness, and remaining ready to support the FEMA and other interagency efforts to counter the outbreak, Lyons said.
Operations by Air Mobility Command, Transcom's air component, are "consistent" with the those priorities, Lt. Gen. Jon Thomas, AMC's deputy commander, told reporters on April 3.
Below, you can see what Transcom and AMC are doing to safeguard their aircrews as they carry out that response.
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