The Pentagon made it clear Tuesday that it does not intend to test the entire 2 million-person force, but the Department of Defense is only at about 50% capacity to meet its current testing goals.
“There’s no need to test the entire force,” Defense Secretary Mark Esper said at a Pentagon press briefing Tuesday. “That would not be a good use of tests.”
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley said strategic forces, including the nuclear triad, have “all been tested and screened for COVID.” So-called tier two forces deployed overseas are being tested at a rate of 20,000-30,000 tests per week, about half of what is considered necessary.
Esper previously described a tiering system that rated testing priorities in the military from zero to four. Tier zero includes those showing symptoms, tier one comprises the nation’s strategic forces, tier two includes forces deployed abroad, tier three is composed of those who are about to deploy, and tier four contains everyone else.
“The numbers that we’re looking at now, 56,000 — call it 60,000 a [week] is what we’re going to build to,” Milley said.
The chairman did not define how many troops are in each tier other than to say the Pentagon was now working through tier two.
For the largest group of forces, Esper said that “sentinel testing” would be used, whereby random tests are given to large groups.
“Tier four is going to be the broader population, by which we do what we’re calling sentinel testing, whereby we randomly test groups of people to make sure to understand how many asymptomatic carriers may be out there,” he said.
Esper said the DOD is ordering more tests to meet its own needs and those of the interagency and to rebuild its stockpile.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs added that the Navy has instituted “some very disciplined and rigorous protocols” to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks at sea such as those experienced by the USS Theodore Roosevelt, where 1,000 sailors were affected, and the USS Kidd, where dozens tested positive before the Navy stopped releasing statistics.
Esper also said that domestic travel restrictions will begin lifting according to how well a state is following White House guidelines, including showing a 14-day downward trend of reported cases. A second guideline, which is about “80%” complete, will allow base commanders discretion to make decisions.
“Those two pillars, at least right now, will form the basis of how we start looking at lifting the travel restriction orders,” he said. Similar guidance will be provided for overseas installations.
