The Coronavirus Pandemonium and its Impact on Military Readiness

Toilet paper, surgical masks, and hand sanitizer have become a part of the social norm since U.S. military and civilian life have come to a standstill due to Coronavirus.

Unfortunately, it’s difficult to keep up with the demand of these items, while on the other hand, our nation’s military is trying to stay afloat during this time. With CBS News reporting that the military and Veterans Affairs (VA) are wishing for certain supplies, the we are experiencing shortages on a global scale.

In part 3 of Empire Resume’s Military Life and Coronavirus series, we discuss how the virus outbreak impacts military readiness and supplies.

What Is Military Readiness?

The official definition of readiness in the DoD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms reads, “The ability of military forces to fight and meet the demands of assigned missions.”

But our servicemen and women must stay safe and healthy in order to combat the coronavirus so they can continue the mission of their respective service branch.

Military Readiness Faces Adversity Due to Coronavirus

Since the COVID-19 epidemic, the Pentagon took the following actions:

Canceled training exercises,
Placed thousands of military members under quarantine,
Closed recruiting stations; and
Limited domestic and foreign travel

As it stands, COVID-19 places a strain on our military, as noted in USA Today.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Milley, predicts that the outbreak will have minimal impact on military readiness.

However, the coronavirus military cases continue to rise. As of March 24, 2020, the Department of Defense have reported 321 cases of the virus among personnel.

With the Coronavirus creating chaos across the military community, the supply shortage is causing concern for service members and their families, veterans, and civilians.

Lack of Supplies Creates Chaos for Military and Veterans

Items such as surgical masks, ventilators, and humidifiers are hard to come by these days.

Any type of protective equipment will be scarce.

DoD is working to get enough swab and test kits and labs for virus testing but at some point, these items will be a rare commodity.

Leaders indicate that self-testing kits will be available soon. And if transportation begin to slow down operations, the problems will remain.

The Coronavirus outbreak will continue to have an impact of military readiness, if we don’t play their part to keep it at bay.

This means doing the following:

Only buying what your family needs from local grocers and commissaries
Staying home and heeding warnings
Practice social distancing

As a safety precaution, commissaries have implemented a 100% I.D. card check at the entrance of all stores and revoked the visitor policy in order to control the number of people in stores.

Develop Your Personal Readiness with Empire Resume

If you’re a military member getting ready to transition out of the military or a veteran looking to make a career change once the coronavirus smoke clears, Empire Resume will be ready to stand by your side.

We’ll furnish the resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile you need through our resume writing packages to help you land the job you deserve.

Dr. Phillip Gold is President/CEO of Empire Resume and has vast experience writing resumes for service-members transitioning from the military into civilian roles. He served as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force responsible for leading nuclear missile security. Phillip is a Certified Professional Resume Writer and holds a BA in Communications from The Ohio State University, an MS in Instructional Technology, an MBA in Finance, and a PhD in Finance.