Obama shuffles military’s mission in Africa and will be sending 3,000 troops into Ebola danger zone
– The Obama administration said late Monday night that the U.S. military will set up a command post in Monrovia, Liberia, the Ebola outbreak’s epicenter
– ‘This effort … will involve an estimated 3,000 U.S. forces,’ according to the White House
– Pentagon official says military will ‘be the lead dog, and that will make a lot of people nervous. … No one wants U.S. personnel enforcing someone else’s martial law if things go south and the entire region is at risk’
– U.S. Africa Command warns servicemen and women: ‘Avoid nonessential travel to Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia’
– Pentagon is drawing flak for sending 25-bed ‘field-deployable hospital’ that is meant to treat health care workers, not civilian victims
Obama is sending thousands of military troops to the west African nation of Liberia as part of the Obama administration’s Ebola virus-response strategy, the White House said late Monday night.
‘U.S. Africa Command will set up a Joint Force Command headquartered in Monrovia, Liberia, to provide regional command and control support to U.S. military activities and facilitate coordination with U.S. government and international relief efforts,’ a statement from the White House press office said.
‘A general from U.S. Army Africa, the Army component of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), will lead this effort, which will involve an estimated 3,000 U.S. forces.’
Liberia is the hardest-hit of the four west African nations that have confirmed Ebola cases, accounting for more than one-half of the fatalities. The others are Sierra Leone, Guinea and, to a lesser extent, Nigeria.
Some of what America’s armed personnel will do in Liberia is unclear. The White House said ‘many’ of them will be stationed at an ‘intermediate staging base’ where they will supervise the movement of medical staff, supplies and heavy equipment.
AFRICOM already warns its own personnel that they should ‘avoid nonessential travel to Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia.’
And the Defense Department is concerned, one Pentagon official told MailOnline, about the public perceptions aroused when American G.I.s patrol ground zero in a disease outbreak that could plunge three or more countries into chaos if it worsens significantly.
Combat soldiers and Marines ‘will be on hand and ready for anything,’ said the official, who has knowledge of some, but not all, of the Ebola-related planning. ‘But hopefully it will be all logistics and hospital-building.’
‘The president has ordered us to help, and we’re eager to do it,’ he said. ‘Now it looks like we’re going to be the lead dog, and that’s bound to make a lot of people nervous. It’s understandable.’
‘But no one wants U.S. personnel enforcing someone else’s martial law if things go south and the entire region is at risk.’
Wild Thing’s comment………..
I have a question. What happens when our troops get killed by Ebola. This is so dangerous what Obama is doing.
Notice Obama will not take a fact finding trip to tour the Ebola plagued areas himself.
Hey POS Obama, keep our people out of there, unless of course you want to import that crap here, which is obvious that you do.
EBOLA has ALREADY arrived INSIDE the US thanks to Caesar ObaMao! Don’t worry troops, you have the VA & Obamacare to cure you?!
Thanks to Caesar O EBOLA is already IN the USA! Don’t worry troops, you have Obamacare & the VA to cure you?
This only shows what little regard this clown has for our military. This isn’t protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States. He’s forcing thousands of American Servicemen to expose themselves to Ebola.
This is a criminal act by obama. What’s new. He should send his daughters as emissarys.