By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel authorized Wednesday a recommendation from the Joint Chiefs of Staff that all U.S. service members returning from Ebola response efforts in West Africa be placed under 21 days of monitored isolation.
Hagel told an audience at the Aspen Institute think tank that the increased regulations are essentially a “safety valve” to prevent any possible infection from service members returning from the region.
He has directed the Joint Chiefs to develop an implementation plan within 15 days, and has ordered the chiefs to conduct a review of the new procedures within 45 days.
“This review will offer a recommendation on whether or not such controlled monitoring should continue based on what we learn and observe from the initial waves of personnel returning from Operation United Assistance,” Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said in a statement using the official name of the military’s operation.
The increased regulations for all military personnel go beyond federal regulations for U.S. citizens. President Barack Obama said yesterday that the regulations for civilians and service members should naturally be different.
“We don’t expect to have similar rules for our military as we do for our civilians. They are already, by definition, if they’re in the military, under more circumscribed conditions,” he said.
Acting beyond Pentagon-wide regulations, the Army instituted a 21-day quarantine for a group of troops who returned to their base following their deployment to the region.
The response team of a dozen American personnel under Maj. Gen. Darryl Williams was quarantined Sunday at an American military base in Vicenza, Italy.
U.S. troops in West Africa are working to support the efforts of USAID, the U.S. foreign aid agency, to combat the deadly Ebola virus, which has claimed nearly 5,000 lives.
The military’s efforts are largely logistical, training and engineering support, in addition to its command and control efforts.
There are currently no plans for the military to provide direct patient care.
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