Exclusive: The
Military Knew Years Ago That a Coronavirus Was Coming
The Pentagon warned the White House about a shortage of
ventilators, face masks and hospital beds in 2017—but
the Trump administration did nothing.
By Ken Klippenstein
April 01, 2020 "Information
Clearing House"
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Despite President
Trump’s
repeated assertions that the Covid-19 epidemic was
“unforeseen” and “came out of nowhere,” the Pentagon was
well aware of not just the threat of a novel influenza,
but even anticipated the consequent scarcity of
ventilators, face masks, and hospital beds, according to
a
2017 Pentagon plan obtained by The Nation.
“The most likely and significant threat [enemy] is a
novel respiratory disease, particularly a novel
influenza disease,” the military plan states. Covid-19
is a respiratory disease caused by the novel (meaning
new to humans) coronavirus. The document specifically
references coronavirus on several occasions, in one
instant saying, “Coronavirus infections [are] common
around the world.”
The plan represents an update to an earlier
Department of Defense pandemic influenza response plan,
noting that it “incorporates insights from several
recent outbreaks including…2012 Middle Eastern
Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus.”
Titled “USNORTHCOM Branch Plan 3560: Pandemic
Influenza and Infectious Disease Response,” the
draft plan is marked
for official use
only and dated January 6, 2017. The plan was
provided to The Nation by a Pentagon official
who requested anonymity to avoid professional reprisal.
Denis Kaufman, who served as head of the Infectious
Diseases and Countermeasures Division at the Defense
Intelligence Agency from 2014 to 2017, stressed that US
intelligence had been well-aware of the dangers of
coronaviruses for years. (Kaufman retired from his
decades-long career in the military in December of
2017.)
“The Intelligence Community has warned about the
threat from highly pathogenic influenza viruses for two
decades at least. They have warned about coronaviruses
for at least five years,” Kaufman explained in an
interview.
“There have been recent pronouncements that the
coronavirus pandemic represents an intelligence
failure…. it’s letting people who ignored intelligence
warnings off the hook.”
In addition to anticipating the coronavirus pandemic,
the military plan predicted with uncanny accuracy many
of the medical supply shortages that it now appears will
soon cause untold deaths.
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The plan states: “Competition for, and scarcity of
resources will include…non-pharmaceutical MCM [Medical
Countermeasures] (e.g., ventilators, devices, personal
protective equipment such as face masks and gloves),
medical equipment, and logistical support. This will
have a significant impact on the availability of the
global workforce.”
The 103-page response plan provides an overview of
what might cause a pandemic, likely complications, and
how the military might respond. The plan outlines
conditions under which an infectious disease can become
a pandemic, several of which were at play with Covid-19:
crowded workplaces, proximity to international airports,
unsanitary living conditions. It also contains
references to classified annexes that go into further
detail. (The Nation is not in possession of
these annexes.)
Last week, Trump lashed out at General Motors and
Ford on Twitter, demanding that they manufacture
ventilators, a life-and-death appliance for many people
with acute Covid-19 symptoms.
The plan’s warning about face masks and ventilators
was prescient: The US Strategic National Stockpile
of medical equipment including respirators, gloves,
face masks, and gowns is
reportedly nearly depleted.
The military plan also correctly anticipates
“insufficient hospital beds.” Indeed, hospitals are
in critically short supply in Italy and rapidly
filling up across New York.
“Even the most industrialized countries will have
insufficient hospital beds, specialized equipment
such as mechanical ventilators, and pharmaceuticals
readily available to adequately treat their
populations during clinically severe pandemic,” the
report goes on.
Another prediction in the report anticipates
worldwide competition for, and scarcity of, Covid-19
vaccines. Trump has already
reportedly offered German scientists large sums
of money for exclusive rights to a vaccine, and
efforts to develop drugs are underway in several
countries.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a
request for comment.
You can read the Pentagon’s full draft
pandemic plan below.
Pentagon Influenza Response by Ken Klippenstein on Scribd
Ken Klippenstein is The Nation’s DC
Correspondent. He can be reached at (202)510-1268.
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