Almost all of Pentagon senior leadership is in quarantine after COVID-19 exposure
The Pentagon’s senior military leaders are all in quarantine following exposure to a Coast Guard vice commandant who has tested positive for COVID-19, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
Coast Guard Vice Commandant Charles Ray tested positive on Monday, days after he was in the Pentagon for meetings with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs John Hyten and the top military leaders of the Navy, Marine Corps, Space Force, National Guard, U.S. Cyber Command and Air Force.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper was not in quarantine and was working from the Pentagon, He was traveling outside of the country last week when the meetings took place, a defense official said.
The quarantine of the top military leaders comes after President Donald Trump returned to the White House after three days in the hospital for treatment for COVID-19.
The military leadership outbreak is not connected to the outdoor White House event for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett that is suspected of being the source of an outbreak affecting White House and Republican officials.
The Coast Guard vice commandant was at a White House event the following weekend with other senior military leaders honoring Gold Star families of service members who died in the line of duty, said Coast Guard director of government and public affairs Rear Adm. Jon Hickey.
The military leaders who attended the Coast Guard meeting are in quarantine using the Pentagon’s extensive secure communications networks to work from home or another remote location, a second defense official said.
They have undergone follow-up tests and there have not been any additional positive tests, Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement.
“There is no change to the operational readiness or mission capability of the U.S. armed forces,” Hoffman said. “Senior military leaders are able to remain fully mission capable and perform their duties from an alternate work location.”
The Defense Department previously had a COVID-19 outbreak aboard the aircraft carrier Roosevelt in Guam which killed one sailor and infected more than 1,200 others and led to the removal of Capt. Brett Crozier.
This story was originally published October 6, 2020 at 3:10 PM with the headline "Almost all of Pentagon senior leadership is in quarantine after COVID-19 exposure."
