ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Defense Department will start a COVID-19 vaccination pilot program at 16 facilities in the United States and overseas, as soon as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) grants emergency authorization, which is expected in the next…

Pentagon Leaders Say Preparing for a Biological Attack is Among Lessons Learned from Pandemic
ARLINGTON, Va. — Among the lessons learned from the coronavirus pandemic is a better understanding of what it will take to defend against a biological attack or other weapons of mass destruction, leaders of the U.S. Navy and Defense departments said…

COVID-19 Shows Importance of Ship Self-Sufficiency at Sea, Surface Force Chief Says
ARLINGTON, Va. — One lesson learned from the challenge of the novel coronavirus pandemic is that U.S. Navy ships and their crews need to be self-reliant and work with the equipment and skills on hand, the commander of Naval Surface Force…

Elbit Subsidiary to Evaluate Navy Ventilator for COVID-19 Combat
ARLINGTON, Va. — A subsidiary of Elbit Systems of America has been selected by a Defense Department team of medical professionals and engineers, to support the development and industrialization of ventilator designs — including one by the U.S. Navy — to…

Tiered COVID-19 Testing System Exceeding Weekly Goal, Pentagon Says
ARLINGTON, Va. — The tiered system for testing of U.S. military personnel for COVID-19, considered a key element in defeating the novel coronavirus, has exceeded the goal of 56,000 tests per week, Defense Department officials told Pentagon reporters on July 30….

Reinventing ‘Normal’: Long-Term Rules Settle Into Place for Prolonged Siege Against Virus
The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, victimized this spring by a COVID-19 outbreak, is back home in San Diego and seemingly healthy. U.S. Marines, no longer using their T-shirts as face masks, are rotating back to Australia but with strict…

The Coast Guard’s Own COVID-19 Challenges
All of the U.S. armed forces have been heavily impacted by the novel coronavirus — perhaps none more acutely than the U.S. Coast Guard. A service focused on activities such as rescuing stranded boaters, apprehending criminals and boarding vessels for…

Okinawa COVID-19 Spread Slows as Marines Phase in More Aggressive Testing
ARLINGTON, Va. — U.S. Marine Corps leaders on Okinawa have relaxed restrictions for some essential off-base activities as the spread of COVID-19 on the island has slowed and U.S. military headquarters in Japan ordered a more rigorous novel coronavirus testing policy…

MCPON: Some Responses to Pandemic Will Remain as Good Processes
ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy’s top enlisted leader said the COVID-19 pandemic is teaching the sea service that personnel need as much focus as machines as the Navy works its way to separate processes that work from those that need to be cast aside. Master…

More Okinawa Marines, One in Australia Test Positive for COVID-19
ARLINGTON, Va. — The number of personnel testing positive for COVID-19 at U.S. Marine Corps bases on Okinawa has grown to 136, according to the provincial governor of the Japanese island. Gov. Denny Tamaki told reporters in Tokyo that another 36…