FIELDING THE FUTURE
CENTER STAGE ON COVID-19
Medical Research and Development Command is a key contributor to Army, DOD pandemic response plan.
by Ramin A. Khalili F
ollowing a visit to the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC) at Fort Detrick, Maryland, on March 17, Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper spoke to reporters at the Pentagon regarding the Army’s role in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. “Te Army’s work
on a vaccine is one of the many ways the Department of Defense is supporting Presi- dent Trump’s ‘whole-of-government’ approach to fight the virus and substantially slow its spread,” said Esper, launching a coordinated effort to position USAMRDC as one of the key contributors to the federal response to COVID-19.
Esper’s visit was the centerpiece of a busy month at USAMRDC, which saw similar visits from Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James C. McConville and Sergeant Major of the Army Michael A. Grinston in the same week. “Te chance to talk to the doctors face to face was really helpful to me in understand- ing what they’re doing,” Esper said of his visit. “Tey’ve been very successful in the past, whether it’s dealing with Ebola or Zika, [and] they have incredible capabilities.”
Recent successes in combating the Ebola virus underline the command’s robust track record in mobilizing infrastructure and delivering results when faced with emerging infectious disease threats. In late 2019, after a more than 15-year journey and follow- ing initial testing and several preclinical trials performed at USAMRDC’s U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first vaccine to prevent Ebola, marketed under the trade name Ervebo.
READY TO RESPOND Tis record of success ensures that USAMRIID is well-poised to support the COVID- 19 pandemic response. Scientists at USAMRIID received a sample of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in February. Te institute is developing models that represent the course of the
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