You're in the command element of the 101st Airborne and you're being sent ahead of the main body to assess the situation in Liberia and the other two countries facing an Ebola epidemic.
I hope you're prepared to established reinforced forts inside those countries. They're inches away from being failed states and the US has never sent troops into this type of situation while at the same time battling a disease.
Speaking of which.
How do you do force protection against a disease that can survive outside a host? Someone vomit on the street, you walk thru it and before you know it you've brought it into your sleeping area.
How do you keep diseased locals from over running your base camps making your troops sick with restrictive rules of engagement? Remember it just won't do to shoot into a mob of Ebola victims that are simply seeking treatment while at the same time over running your base!
What about flying to deliver supplies. Do you simply kick gear out the helicopter or do you land to deliver aid? If you do how do you protect your troops from the sick but excitable natives? How do you react to villagers that believe that Western medicine is the cause of the illness? Remember they just killed people that were coming to educate them on the disease!
This will end badly. The 101st will end up leaving Africa with its tail between its legs. I just hope that AFRICOM truly understands how jacked up this situation is...the chances for success are extremely low. This thing will just have to burn itself out.
I hope you're prepared to established reinforced forts inside those countries. They're inches away from being failed states and the US has never sent troops into this type of situation while at the same time battling a disease.
Speaking of which.
How do you do force protection against a disease that can survive outside a host? Someone vomit on the street, you walk thru it and before you know it you've brought it into your sleeping area.
How do you keep diseased locals from over running your base camps making your troops sick with restrictive rules of engagement? Remember it just won't do to shoot into a mob of Ebola victims that are simply seeking treatment while at the same time over running your base!
What about flying to deliver supplies. Do you simply kick gear out the helicopter or do you land to deliver aid? If you do how do you protect your troops from the sick but excitable natives? How do you react to villagers that believe that Western medicine is the cause of the illness? Remember they just killed people that were coming to educate them on the disease!
This will end badly. The 101st will end up leaving Africa with its tail between its legs. I just hope that AFRICOM truly understands how jacked up this situation is...the chances for success are extremely low. This thing will just have to burn itself out.
