Pentagon Assists Fight Against Ebola Outbreak

The Defense Department has formed a task force to determine how the U.S. armed forces can mitigate the spread of the deadly Ebola virus. Under the command of Michael D. Lumpkin, the assistant defense secretary for special operations and low-intensity conflict, the task force will cooperate appropriately with the Centers for Disease Control USAID, the State Department, and other federal agencies. Meanwhile, U.S. military assets in Africa are functioning normally, Pentagon spokesman Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said in an Aug. 5 press briefing. The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases has a small contingent of personnel in Liberia, supplying test kits to laboratory personnel in nearby Sierra Leone, where the disease has hit hard.