THE RESPONSE OF ARMED FORCES IN COVID-19 PANDEMIC

THE RESPONSE OF ARMED FORCES IN COVID-19 PANDEMIC

THE RESPONSE OF ARMED FORCES IN COVID-19 PANDEMIC (*)

Assist. Prof. Dr. M. Sadık AKYAR

Girne American University

Faculty of Political Sciences Department of International Relations

sadikakyar@gau.edu.tr

1. Introductions

It could have been based the establishment of the military health system on very old times. It is known that the first regular army in the world was founded by the Akads (4000 BC).evidence that there is a branch within this army that has health care in its current sense, it is likely that there is someone who is interested with the injured personnel. Then, especially with the use of firearms on the battlefields, servicemen in the armed forces began to be assigned in medical duties. The health branch is known to have been widely used in the U.S. Civil War. However, in today's modern sense, it was used as a separate branch within the armed forces in WW-1 and II.

2. Military Health System

2.a The levels of the Military Health System

The Military Health System consists of four levels in general. Each level is called "Role or Echelon". "Role" is used for in land and air units and Echelon naval units. Each higher level covers both the capability and capacity of the previous level and its equipment. Because each level is also responsible for procurement of the lower level. A soldier who is injured for any reason at the battlefield does not have to go through these levels, in turn. In other side, a soldier injured on the front line could be evacuated directly to level four with "Medical Evacuation-MEDEVAC".

Role - 1 : It is found in small levels of unit. It usually includes first aid, minor injuries and triage. Routine diseases and treatment of patients who can return to duty immediately are treated.

Role - 2 : Includes evacuation equipment (ambulances) from Role-1, triage, resuscitation treatment and a specific boarding facility for the treatment of treated personnel for a certain period of time. Dental unit is also available for emergency dental treatment. It also includes equipment and personnel to relieve operational stress.

It usually includes non-specialist doctors. Although there are no facilities and equipment for operation, equipment and personnel could be sometimes added according to the characteristics of the task and are then referred to as Role(+). It is at the Echelon-2 Role(+) level in sea assets.

Role - 3 : If Role-2 doesn’t include the service of the operation, preventive medicine, food safety, dental unit, it includes the task of Role-2 and operational stress management, sanitary evacuation equipment and personnel. It could be applied to various types of field hospitals that will provide this and similar service on the alms. It also has at least 30 beds and more.

The Echelon-3 includes the same system and equipment. The Echelon-3 can be found on some large ships, and some hospital ships can be evaluated in this context. Field hospitals are usually at this level. Providing it in NATO NRF missions is a prestigous subject matter.

Role - 4 : It usually covers fixed hospitals within the country where all kinds of health services are available. It can also be established as a field hospital in certain special cases. U.S. Comfort and Mercy ships can be considered as Echelon-4.

2. b. Category of Health Facilities by Construction Types

- Fixed facilities: Facilities where health systems and activities are located in fixed buildings and campuses. Systems being with the longest construction time.

-Semi-Fixed Facilities: Facilities in where health systems are placed and health activities are carried out. It is usually prefabricated and can be removed when the need is end. However, some parts may become useless during this disassembly process. Therefore, they cannot be subjected to continuous construction and dismantling. Hospitals established for the outbreak in Wuhan , China and South Korea could be considered in this context. However, hospitals in Atatürk airport and Sancaktepe in Turkey should be evaluated within the scope of "fixed facility".

-Field Systems (Hospitals): Facilities used by the Armed Forces in war and long-term conflicts. It is preferred because they are flexible, practical and cost effective than other facilities. Although the main uses are military area, in recent years; they have also become widely to be used.in natural disasters, human movements (refugee camps), nuclear and large industrial plant accidents

* Tent Health Facilities: Facilities where health supplies and equipment are placed inside tents and activities are carried out within these tents. It was widely used in World War I. Today, with the advancement of tent fabric technology, it is produced to be used in almost any climatic conditions (Arctic and desert). It is the most cost effective of all systems

* Mobile Health Facilities: Health supplies and equipment are placed in mobile systems, activities are done within these systems. Systems with the most mobility and flexibility. Vehicles, containers and trailers are used as mobile system. It has started to be widely used in recent years.

* Mixed Health Facilities: The systems where health supplies and equipment are placed are in tents and mobile systems. In general, health systems and equipment may consist of mobile facilities, while auxiliary facilities may consist of tents. Covid-19 has made developed a new model in this area called “Compact-Kangoroo” model. In this model, when the construction of hospital starts, a mobil/field hospital set-up so, hospital services also starts. once the construction has began.

In addition to health systems and facilities, CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radioactive and Nuclear) protection equipment, which was used in the field of warfare after WW- I, has also been developed. Today, however, especially with the increase of chemical plant fires, nuclear power plant accidents (Chernobyl, Kobe) like large-scale fires, CBRN equipment, especially decontamination systems, has started to be used outside the armed forces. It has been also widely used as protective equipment during covid-19.

3.a. The General Tasks Conducted by Armed Forces During Covid-19

When we consider the duties of the armed forces in pandemic on a world scale, it is generally seen that there are four main areas.

First of all, The Armed Forces used the medical supplies and equipment they had in their inventory to support national health services. Mobile field hospitals are the most notable of these systems. Field hospitals have set up in Hyde Park in London, Central park in New York, and two regions in France . Italy, on the other hand, has also built a new mobile field hospital on a military base allocated to NATO. For example; U.S. have used the 1,000-bed Mercy and Comfort ships existing in the inventory of its navy In addition to field hospitals. Mercy is still docked in Los Angeles and Comfort in New York Harbor . France used Mistral (L9013) helicopter ship and Ireland did a ship as a hospital.

The second support of the armed forces to the National Health Service (NHS) in the pandemic was with the medical staff. The support here is not only limited to medical personnel, but also used as part of this support, especially those who are experts in CBRN.

The most common support provided by the armed forces during the pandemic was with the deployment of military units for it. Military units have conducted tasks such as; protection, security, quarantine and especially logistics services. Almost all countries, except Turkey, used in the military units at the field (cities). The most notable issue here, including the cold war period, was that Russia first helped to a NATO member, Italy's armed forces and National Health Service staff on Italy’s home land.

Fourthly, the armed forces have come to prominence in the pandemic with their organizational capability, production in its facilities and logistics supply chain. In particular, supply and personnel support related to the pandemic has been conducted by the air power including the transportation and evacuation operations of aid supplies between countries. In addition, maintenance repair and defense industry facilities belonging to the armed forces have been used to produce vital materials used in the epidemic.

A method that is not one of the general using methods of the armed forces have been used by the People's Republic of China (PRC). In fact, it is said that this method of use is also used by Russia as well. China has announced that its armed forces troops would be used as part of vaccine development efforts, especially in the third phase, which is the stage of human test of vaccines and it did it. This has remained in memory as a different way of using the armed forces at the pandemic

4. Armed Forces in Future Pandemic

4.a. Pandemics & Future of Armed Forces:

During the Covid-19 pandemic, it was understood that the armed forces, after all, stood out as the most prepared institutions for such situations. However, it is also a fact that in order for the armed forces to be more effective in such situations in the future shall review and adapt its organizations, doctrines, and educations.

A reason why military units are widely used in the epidemic is the perception that Covid-19 affected the elderly, especially at the outset of the outbreak. For this reason, members of the armed forces, whose average age is generally lower than in society, took place in the epidemic. However, when looking at the way the troops intervened, it is seen that the intervention was done with regular bayyle uniform. Therefore, in another kind of outbreak, assignments without protective equipment and clothing could lead to disaster.

During the pandemic, NATO and EU came to the fore as two institutions discussed. NATO's most effective element during the outbreak was the NSPA (NATO Supply and Procurement Agency) in Luxembourg. The NSPA has coordinated and supported air transport to meet the need for protective materials and equipment for the pandemic of the member countries.

In fact, during the distribution of these materials, there was a problem between the countries. The member states did not have enough supplies for them, they could not help each other except Turkey because they did not have such preparations. The same issue is available for EU. So far, the EU has only had economic assistance. Since these aid came after the shock wave, the unionwas not effective among the country's citizens, even being discussed, and in some EU countries, union flags were burned and torn .

At an online meeting of defence ministers on 14 April 2020, It has been annaounced that NATO will take important steps in this regard. NATO has indicated that a new strategy will be developed and field hospitals will be supplied. It is also envisaged that issues related to the use of military units in the pandemic should include NATO standardization, NRF certification, other training and exercises.

During the pandemic, especially the protection of social distance has come to the fore. However, this has negatively impacted the training and training activities of the armed forces. Therefore, it is thought that in the coming period, trainings will be supported by simulation systems, virtual reality and artificial intelligent systems in such periods, and they will enter the inventory of the armed forces.

The sataff of armed forces, which were used in the pandemic, served with their daily uniforms and equipment, especially in Europe. This is not seen as an appropriate way of acting considering the initially unknown nature of the Covid-19 virus. For this reason, the armed forces should review the stocks of protective suits, other equipment, especially mobile and mobile hospitals, for use in future outbreaks. In this regard, there are media reports that the US Armed Forces have closed some factories producing disposal gloves in Malaysia for two years.

The reason of the Covid-19 pandemic has not been determined yet. However, there are various claims about some countries such as; China USA, France and UK. In the future, in to take more effective measures against such situations, the cause of the pandemic must be revealed and necessary measures should be taken accordingly. For this, establishing an international investigation commission is crucial to raise the effectiveness of the UN and WHO.

4. Conclusion:

The health system with all the dynamics, it has now emerged as a safety issue,

All Armed Forces, NATO, EU (PESCO); should be reviewed its force structure, doctrine, organization and equipment against a possible future pandemic.

Mobile and Field health systems, CBRN systems will be used as systems that support fixed health systems due to their economic and flexible use in a possible pandemic.

The cause of the Covid-19 outbreak affecting the entire world should be investigated by an international research commission, and according to the results of this investigation, necessary steps should be taken to prevent such incidents from ever being encountered again.

REFERENCES:

- NATO Logistic Handbook, Chapter 11, 2007

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