U.S. Northern Command Helping Dallas And New Orleans

U.S. Northern Command Leading Active-Duty DoD for COVID-19 Operations

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – U.S. Northern Command, in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is leading the Department of Defense’s operations to COVID-19 efforts in the continental United States.

A 450-person Navy Medical Unit from Jacksonville, Florida, will soon deploy to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and New Orleans, Louisiana, to expand the medical capabilities in those states in the next few days.

 “There is nothing more sacred than being right here at home defending the homeland,” said Gen. Terrence J. O’Shaughnessy, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command. “Our Commander in Chief has declared war on COVID-19. We are a part of that as a whole-of-America, whole-of-nation approach, and we are incredibly proud to be a part of that mission.”

U.S. Northern Command Leading Military Support to COVID-19 Response PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – U.S. Northern Command, in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is leading the Department of Defense’s response to COVID-19 efforts in the continental United States.

“Our hospital ship USNS Mercy has arrived in the Port of Long Beach, outside of Los Angeles, and received her first patients. Her sister ship, USNS Comfort, arrived in New York City Monday,” said Gen. Terrence J. O’Shaughnessy, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command. “Additionally, we are deploying three Army field hospitals to Washington State and New Jersey, which will be up and running by April 2. We are also preparing to deploy a large Navy medical team from Jacksonville, Fla., to expand medical capabilities where needed.” Below is a current snapshot of current DOD support through U.S. Northern Command to FEMA, as well as state and local partners:
 Deployed two USNS Hospital Ships: o USNS Mercy arrived in the port of Long Beach, outside of Los Angeles, on Friday, March 27. They began accepting non-COVID-19 patients today.
o The USNS Comfort departed for New York City on March 28 and is scheduled to arrive Monday, March 30.
o Both the USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy have the ability to host up to 1,000 patients. This includes 12 operating rooms, 20 post-anesthesia beds, and 80 Intensive Care Unit beds.
 Deploying three Army field hospitals o The 627th Hospital Center from Ft. Carson, Colorado, with the ability to provide up to 248 beds beginning April 2, deployed to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington in support of medical efforts in the Seattle area.
o The 531st Hospital Center from Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, with the ability to provide up to 148 beds beginning April 2, deployed to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, in support of medical efforts in the New York City area.
o The 9th Hospital Center from Ft. Hood, Texas, with the ability to provide 136 beds beginning April 2, deployed to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, in support of medical efforts in the New York City area.
 450-person Navy Medical Unit is on “Prepare to Deploy” orders, and they will soon deploy to Texas and New Orleans to expand the medical capabilities in those states in the next few days.
 Approved three Department of Defense installations to support FEMA as Base Support Installations, providing FEMA with staging and storage areas for their response operations. The approved installations are:
o Beale Air Force Base, California
o Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington
o Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey
 Activated Dual-Status Commanders, Title 10 deputies, and Joint Enabling Capability teams to Washington, New York, and California. o A DSC gives a state National Guard unit the ability to command both State National Guard members as well as active-duty military members better to allocate military resources across a wide response area.

Title 10 deputies and JEC teams work for the Dual-Status Commander and support the active-duty efforts of the DSC team. A JEC team has also deployed to California to assist in relief efforts.
 Activated Defense Coordinating Officers across all ten FEMA regions
o DCOs serves as the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s single point of contact for the Department of Defense support. They liaise between FEMA and U.S. Northern Command to assist in the flow of relief efforts to the most affected areas.