Viral Mission

Slightly more than 200 Americans had tested positive with COVID-19 when four California Air National Guardsmen were hoisted onto the Grand Princess cruise ship off their state’s coast March 5.

The airmen were the first Guardsmen called to support the nation’s response to the novel coronavirus. They were lowered to the vessel from two HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters to help test passengers who had possibly been in contact with the virus.

Within weeks, the number of people in the United States testing positive for COVID-19 had grown to more than 10,000, with at least 150 people killed by the virus in the country.

The number of Guardsmen mobilized in support of efforts to stem the pandemic had also grown, to more than 8,000 soldiers and airmen in 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia as of March 23, according to the National Guard Bureau.

The figure had jumped from roughly 2,000 just six days earlier.

Gen. Joseph Lengyel, the NGB chief, told reporters at the Pentagon that the number will continue to grow in the weeks ahead.

“Like everybody, we’re concerned with the duration of the oncoming onslaught of this event,” Lengyel said. “It is a historic event, and it is going to require a historic response.”

The first missions involved disinfecting public buildings and delivering food to people in need and personal protective equipment to hospitals. Guardsmen in some states also staffed drive-through testing facilities and drove Grand Princess passengers home from local airports for quarantine.

In addition, more than 20 civil support teams taught first responders how to properly use and decontaminate protective equipment.

Most Guardsmen were under state active duty — a status sourced and paid for by the state — and under the control of the governors.

That was about to change March 22. President Donald Trump authorized the use of federal Title 32 status under 502(f) for approved missions in three of the hardest-hit states — California, New York and Washington. Mobilized Guardsmen in those states will receive federal pay and benefits, but remain under the control of the governors.

Governors and adjutants general had pressed for the authority, which Lengyel expects will be ex-tended to other states.

“This is a true crisis,” said Maj. Gen. Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York, one of the first states to call out Guardsmen. “I believe the fight against COVID-19 will exceed what we did in response to the attacks of 11 September 2001 and our response to Superstorm Sandy [in 2012]. This is that serious.”

In many cases, Guardsmen are responding in the very communities in which they live and work.

Maj. Gen. Matthew Quinn, the adjutant general of Montana and president of the Adjutants General Association of the United States, says there is no other force that can provide the support Guardsmen can give to their home states and communities.

“This is what our National Guard is designed for and is what our National Guard excels at,” he said. “We already have these relationships within the states.”

Guardsmen have a long history of responding to public health emergencies, including outbreaks of smallpox, Spanish flu, yellow fever, cholera, hoof-and-mouth disease and typhus, according to Richard Clark, an NGB historian.

One recent example occurred in 2009 when the Ohio Guard helped state authorities respond to the H1N1 pandemic, distributing antiviral medications and other medical supplies. Ohio Guardsmen also hosted a vital, no-cost H1N1 clinic that provided vaccinations and nasal spray.

It is a historic event, and it is going to require a historic response.

—Gen. Joseph Lengyel, the chief of the National Guard Bureau

GUARDSMEN are not immune from the virus. As of March 19, six Guardsmen had tested positive for COVID-19. And states were working to mitigate risks to soldiers and airmen even as they prepare for future missions.

Consequently, traditional drill weekends were delayed in some states or changed to virtual events in others to comply with government and health-care guidelines cautioning against gathers of 10 or more people.

In Kentucky, officials modified prescribed drill training to paid, nontraditional musters designed to help provide a real-time snapshot of the health of the force and their families.

“In this extraordinary time, the men and women of our force are our greatest resource,” said Brig. Gen. Hal Lamberton, the adjutant general of Kentucky. “Their health and safety is of paramount concern, as well as the well-being of our Guard families.”

It’s up to state leaders to determine how to proceed with drills and other duties. Nearly 80% of the Guard’s force of 450,000 soldiers and airmen are traditional Guardsmen, typically training one weekend each month.

In Montana, Quinn’s initial inclination was to hold drills. He knew that many Guardsmen depend on their drill checks, especially as other jobs have been put on hold due to the virus. But the state ended up postponing March and April drills while looking at alternatives to traditional drill weekends.

Other adjutants general are looking at small group training events or virtual training, Quinn said.

Another concern is health care. Many Guardsmen take advantage of TRICARE Reserve Select, which is paid for through deductions from drill pay checks. Without those checks, Guardsmen could be disenrolled.

“In the end, we’ve got to maintain readiness,” Quinn said. “It’s a leader’s decision as we look at balancing the needs of the nation, the needs of the state and the needs of the individual.”

Not every state is going to have or need the same Guard response. And state forces are comprised of different capabilities, with some states possessing little medical skillsets.

Lengyel compared the response to 54 hurricanes, ranging in severity from Category 1 to Category 5, hitting each state and territory simultaneously. But while officials can see a hurricane coming and gauge its severity, the coronavirus is an invisible threat.

The longer the pandemic persists, the more stress will be put on citizens, the Guard and the nation.

All options for using the Guard have been on the table at the Pentagon, but Lengyel said he advised against fully federalizing the force under Title 10, which would take Guardsmen out from under the governors. 

The author can be reached at 202-408-5885 or [email protected]. Sgt. 1st Class Whitney Hughes contributed to this report.