Canadian Forces personnel are being held in reserve in case the effects of the novel coronavirus get worse, but at this point military commanders expect most of their role for domestic operations to focus on dealing with spring floods and later forest fires.
The Canadian Forces is in the midst of mobilizing up to 24,000 personnel to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic but there has only been one request for help from the military and that was from Quebec. The request involves the use of Canadian Rangers to help with support for medical personnel in remote northern communities.
Toronto Mayor John Tory recently noted the city is dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak and doesn’t need military assistance, at least for now.
Military planners are continuing with the mobilization process, which includes putting thousands of part-time reserve force members on full-time.
Canadian Forces officers say the situation with the pandemic continues to evolve but with the spring flooding season soon to arrive they’re expecting that will generate more requests for military help.
Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jon Vance tweeted on Thursday that “ships, vehicles and personnel are poised should natural disasters demand a response, or further requests are received to support the response to the spread of COVID-19.”
Militaries are being used around the world in a variety of responses to the pandemic. Here are some examples:
U.S.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has converted a convention centre in New York into a hospital. It is also working on providing 10,000 hospital beds in New York City by converting hotels into temporary care facilities. It is also converting the Miami Beach Convention Center into a field hospital as well as setting up other such facilities around the country.
National Guard units in a number of states have been helping at drive-thru COVID-19 testing stations as well as handing out food. Other guard members are providing transportation for civilian health care workers or delivering test samples to laboratories. Two U.S Navy hospital ships are on hand to provide medical support but so far use of those vessels has been limited.
National Guardsmen in Rhode Island were monitoring cars and homes for individuals from New York state, reminding them they had to quarantine themselves for 14 days after arrival. The U.S. Air Force has transported testing kits from Italy to the U.S. as well as delivering some of those kits to cities in the U.S.
UNITED KINGDOM
British army engineers have worked with civilian staff to help turn a convention centre in London into an emergency hospital to treat COVID-19 patients. Military personnel are delivering personal protective equipment and oxygen to hospitals across the country. Helicopters will be used to transport patients from isolated communities to hospitals.
FRANCE
French military helicopters and transport vehicles are being used to take critical COVID-19 patients to hospital. A military hospital with 30 intensive-care beds has also been set up in an area where there was a large outbreak.
ITALY
Armed Italian troops are being used to assist police at roadside checkpoints and the Italian army has been transporting COVID-19 dead to locations for burial. The Italian Army has been used as well to seal off a hilltop village that was declared a hot zone for the pandemic. The military has also provided technicians to help a private medical firm working on ventilators.
SPAIN
The Spanish military is being used to disinfect retirement homes. In some cases troops are providing emergency care to the elderly who have been abandoned. They are also recovering bodies of senior citizens abandoned in the homes. Some areas have requested help from military doctors and nurses.
GERMANY
The German military has 3,000 doctors available, although it acknowledges this represents only a small group in the country’s overall health system. The army also has care facilities to offer for patients who need to be isolated. Other units could be used if needed later to guard critical infrastructure if private security firms are affected by COVID-19.
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2020
