The Military Can Help Win the Fight Against Pandemics
America’s armed forces can do more to protect against future outbreaks. Here’s how.
Sending ships isn’t enough.
Photographer: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images North America
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, Bloomberg Opinion will be running a series of features by our columnists that consider the long-term consequences of the crisis. This column is part of a package on how to strengthen three pillars of national security: defense, diplomacy and strategy. For more, see Hal Brands on a framework for U.S. foreign policy and Kori Schake on upgrading non-military and civilian expertise.
The Covid-19 pandemic is a bracing national security challenge — and how the country responds is doubly crucial, since biological history tells us that another, potentially more lethal, pathogen is inevitable. The U.S. military can play a valuable role in helping to fight the next pandemic, if the lessons of this crisis are inculcated and implemented now.