AI & Analytics
COVID-19 could hamper national security, new data shows
Could the coronavirus pandemic seriously diminish military readiness?
That's been a key question from personnel and reporters to Defense Department leadership in the past several weeks. But a new map suggests COVID-19 could significantly alter DOD's readiness -- particularly for tech -- as well as its modernization capabilities should a major portion of personnel contract the virus.
Govini, a data and analytics firm, released a heat map that looked at how the pandemic could impact ports of entry, military bases and installations, taking into consideration poor medical infrastructure, the number of available hospital beds and COVID-19 test kits in the coming weeks.
The map also homes in on where defense companies are developing DOD products and services might be increasingly vulnerable -- think the F-35 assembly plants and shipyards. For tech, that highlights areas such as Austin, Texas, and Silicon Valley in California.
David Berteau, president and CEO of the Professional Services Council, said it's not just a readiness concern -- which the military would never reveal to adversaries -- it's about what DOD is getting ready for.
"The military would never be specific, because it would reveal too much that you don't want your opponents to know. But secondly, you'd have to be able to answer the question: Ready for what?" Berteau said. "No military entity will say, 'I have more than enough for any possible mission I may undertake.'"
"The entire goal is to use this predictive model in order to anticipate and therefore surge resources in a way that can be maximally effective," Govini CEO Tara Murphy Dougherty said. "Because you are getting things in place either ahead of the crisis hitting at really bad points or at a minimum, not losing any time in terms of being responsive."
For defense readiness that means areas with ports and shipyards, which are key for transporting materiel, are susceptible because the workforce is highly commercial.
"The areas that I think are really concerning are the San Diego region because so much is pushed out of basically commercial shipping, civilian shipping and ports that rely on contract workforce in order to operate. And if you don't have contractors who are able to fulfill the contractual requirements because of things, like shelter in place or because they're ill, then that has a significant impact on our ability to mobilize for war."
DOD began implementing telework policies and travel restrictions the week of March 9, extending coverage for telework to contractors by March 20. As of April 1, the Defense Department has had 1,405 cases of COVID-19 and five deaths.
"There is a real possibility that the Department will be unable to conduct its priority missions because of a sudden cessation of work by personnel at key companies," Govini wrote in its report.
Govini used a predictive modeling algorithm that drew from multiple sources, including DOD's spending habits from 2018 and 2019, hospital data collected by Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University's database on the number of global cases and population estimates from census data. The result is a look at what COVID-19 hot spots could look like by April 10.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper intimated during a March 23 news briefing that warfighting readiness efforts could be impacted by COVID-19 if the number of cases increased and the need for social distancing stayed in place for many weeks or even months.
"As this virus ramps up and spreads, we'll obviously see more and more impact of persons in our ranks. I am confident that while it may have some impact on readiness, it will not affect our ability to conduct our national security missions, both at home and abroad," Esper said.
When pressed, Esper said that such impacts, such as curtailed exercises, were dependent on "if this pandemic continues at the scale and scope of what some are predicting," which could affect readiness over time.
This article first appeared on FCW, a partner site with Defense Systems.
About the Author
Lauren C. Williams is a staff writer at FCW covering defense and cybersecurity.
Prior to joining FCW, Williams was the tech reporter for ThinkProgress, where she covered everything from internet culture to national security issues. In past positions, Williams covered health care, politics and crime for various publications, including The Seattle Times.
Williams graduated with a master's in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park and a bachelor's in dietetics from the University of Delaware. She can be contacted at lwilliams@fcw.com, or follow her on Twitter @lalaurenista.
Click here for previous articles by Wiliams.
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The Future For India
ReplyDeleteBy July 2020 – The Daily Death Toll In India – Will Be The Highest In The World
By September 2020 – Indians Who Are Cured Today,Will Be Re-Infected
By September 2020 – India Will Rank At No.3 In Total Cases
By June 2021 – India Will Rank At No.1 In Number Of Cases
By July 1st Week 2020 – India Will Have The Highest Number Of Daily Cases
By October 2020 – The Food Supply Chain Will Break Down,And There Will Be Food Riots
In November And December 2020 There Will Be A False Flag Operation,And The Start Of A War Which Will Bury India – Forever.
If The Cases In IRP – Islamic Republic Of Pakistan – Are Not Under Control,By August 2020 – The Cataclysm For India,Could Occur Sooner.
It Is A Classic Case Study,Of Doom.Dindooohindoo
But The Indians,Still Have NO CLUE.There Is No Cure.The Indian Fools Do Not Get It.The Doctors Are Just Suppressing The Symptoms (Or Trying To – On Guesstimates),In The Hope That The Immune System,Will Recover (As COVID Hits The Immune System – Aka HIV Link).Hence,The Virus Might Still Exist – And Migrate To Te Lower Tracts,Or JUST RE-ENTER LATER – As There Is No CURE AND NO VACCINE – To PREVENT A REINFECTION (Unlike Smallpox,Chickenpox Etc.)
There Is NO HOPE Of A Vaccine And EVEN IF IT COMES – The Immunity Potion And Methodology, WILL NOT LAST – For Sure.There Has Never Been A Vaccine For A Respiratory INFECTION Or For An Infection – Which Destroys Immunity (Aka-HIV).And So,There Will EITHER Be No COVID Vaccine,Or It Will Fail.
Indians Are A Reservoir Of Diseases – A Race Of Weasels And Supines – As A Consequence,Of Those Viruses – Which Were Not Fatal.This Is What Led To Their Mental And Physical Slavery,For 2500 Years.
This Virus Is For Their TERMINAL TERMINATION. I Look At The Wonders Of Nature.For 2500 Years,The Viruses Destroyed The DNA And Potency Of Indians,South Asians And East Asians – And Led To Their Slavery,To Races From Colder Regions,Of The World – And Now,This Virus Will Terminate The South And South East Asians (By Disease, Hunger,Civil War And Anarchy).
Cold Temperatures Are Ideal For The Human DNA,Human Brain And Human Sexual And Physical Health.In History,The Races From The Colder Regions Have Ruled The World – Always – W/O Exception. Even Within Nations,You Can Easily Sense The Difference – Say,Between North And South Chima,North East Asia (DPRK/Nippon/Korea/ Taiwan) And South East Asia.Even On Matters Of Intellectus And Theosophy Or Or Spiritualism – North East Asia Adopted Mahayana Buddhism (And See Where They Are) And South East Asia And South Asia,Adopted Hinayana Buddhism And Hinduism (And They Are In A Rut)
Look At The Islam Of The Indonesians ! Is That Islam ? It Is Bogus ! Same For The Christians Of East And South Asia !
In Essence,Indians And South/East Asians,Are A Race With Poor DNA/Genes – And A Burden On The Earth,And Its Resources (Besides Thai Hookers And Thai Cooks).They Were Slaves In The Past 2500 Years, And Will Now,Always Be Pawns – Manipulated By The USA,PRC,Russia Etc.The Time Has Come To End The Misery,Of The Indian Destitutes – Mangled By The Indian State And The Indian Elite.
Take The Example Of North And South America.However, South America Is Still A Paradise Compared To South East Asia.It Is All About Being,On The Right Side Of The Equator.
Indians Are ALREADY Treating The DEAD BODIES,As Worse Than Garbage !
https://Www.Ndtv.Com/India-News/Coronavirus-Body-Of-Up-Man-Who-Died-On-Road-Taken-In-Garbage-Van-Over-Virus-Fears-2244553?Pfrom=Home-Topstories
In 20 Days From Today,The Health Infrastructure,In India,Will Collapse,And People Will Be Dying,On The Roads.
People Will Refuse To Bury The Dead – And Will Drag, Decomposed Dead Bodies,:On The Streets
https://Www.Theweek.In/News/India/2020/06/12/Video-Of-Decomposed-Bodies-Being-Dragged-In-Kolkata-Triggers-Horror.Html
Covid Ain’t “Nature At Work” – Because The Virus Is A “Thinker”. It Kills NOT By Disease ALONE.It Combines With It Chaos, Riots,Anarchy,Civil War,Hunger,Starvation,Economic Disaster …. And It Does Not End There.Each Of These,Leads To More “Incidental Viruses And Plagues”- Due To A Breakdown Of The Government Machinery,Sanitation, Sewage,Industrial Wastes And The Health Infrastructure. Dovetailed With That,Is The Virus Attacks On Agriculture As The Implements, Complements And Supplements In The Agri-Supply Chain Will Disappear,And The Crop Infections – Will Increase In A Geometric Progression.
ReplyDeleteA Great White Shark,with White skin and pink lips, who smoked a cigar uttered the following gospel – as his revelation,to the world – which the world seems to have ignored,or pretends to ignore :
Allow me to present H.E.His Holiness,His Magnificience,His Opulent OmniPotence – Mr Winston Churchill
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/not-his-finest-hour-the-dark-side-of-winston-churchill-2118317.html
“I hate Indians”.
“They are a beastly people with a beastly religion,” he had said.