If the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is at all a touchstone for us regarding the gravity of a situation, then it is noteworthy that the Pentagon has imposed DoD-wide travel restrictions for all of the personnel and their families.
As of now, all travel plans by DoD personnel are deferred unless deemed as mission essential or are related to matters of extreme hardship. General staff will be the determining body which will determine, on a case-by-case basis, whether an exemption is warranted. Persons on orders to separate from the service in the next 60 days are exempt from the new DoD travel restrictions.
This decision comes in the wake of President Trump’s ban on travel from Europe for 30 days — U.S. citizens are exempted from this measure but will have to be tested upon arrival.
Countries immediately affected by the travel freeze are those determined to be a “Level-3” risk by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Italy, South Korea, China, Venezuela, and Iran. That sucks for anyone who had any intention of sending troops to Iran to teach them a lesson in global etiquette… but the Pentagon has spoken!
If this DoD travel restriction sounds alarming… well, then it just sounds alarming. It does NOT alarm me so much so that you could tell by looking at me. There is a tremendous amount of diplomacy work that our military engages in with our allies — joint training exercise this and joint training exercise that. It’s a lot of friendly feel-good fangled folly. It is not imperative for our military to travel outside the U.S. to conduct its preparedness training.
The failsafe mechanism in all this is the bottomless pit caveat “deemed mission essential.” Right there — the almighty judges and superior beings are holding the door open to virtually anything they want; all they need to do is declare it mission essential. They can declare those little jars of tiny cocktail onions “mission essential” if they want them bad enough.
If the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is at all a touchstone for us regarding the gravity of a situation, then it is noteworthy that the Pentagon has imposed DoD-wide travel restrictions for all of the personnel and their families.
As of now, all travel plans by DoD personnel are deferred unless deemed as mission essential or are related to matters of extreme hardship. General staff will be the determining body which will determine, on a case-by-case basis, whether an exemption is warranted. Persons on orders to separate from the service in the next 60 days are exempt from the new DoD travel restrictions.
This decision comes in the wake of President Trump’s ban on travel from Europe for 30 days — U.S. citizens are exempted from this measure but will have to be tested upon arrival.
Countries immediately affected by the travel freeze are those determined to be a “Level-3” risk by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Italy, South Korea, China, Venezuela, and Iran. That sucks for anyone who had any intention of sending troops to Iran to teach them a lesson in global etiquette… but the Pentagon has spoken!
If this DoD travel restriction sounds alarming… well, then it just sounds alarming. It does NOT alarm me so much so that you could tell by looking at me. There is a tremendous amount of diplomacy work that our military engages in with our allies — joint training exercise this and joint training exercise that. It’s a lot of friendly feel-good fangled folly. It is not imperative for our military to travel outside the U.S. to conduct its preparedness training.
The failsafe mechanism in all this is the bottomless pit caveat “deemed mission essential.” Right there — the almighty judges and superior beings are holding the door open to virtually anything they want; all they need to do is declare it mission essential. They can declare those little jars of tiny cocktail onions “mission essential” if they want them bad enough.
Happy Hour
I personally feel that the Military — like everyone else — has to and wants to do its part to teamwork through this virus scourge. It’s in the national interest and it is, in fact, the responsible thing to do. So, the sky is not falling just yet, and if it does maybe it will hail those tiny cocktail onions too!
For a practical resource on how to deal with the Coronavirus, visit Apple iBooks.
As someone who’s seen what happens when the truth is distorted, I know how unfair it feels when those who’ve sacrificed the most lose their voice. At SOFREP, our veteran journalists, who once fought for freedom, now fight to bring you unfiltered, real-world intel. But without your support, we risk losing this vital source of truth. By subscribing, you’re not just leveling the playing field—you’re standing with those who’ve already given so much, ensuring they continue to serve by delivering stories that matter. Every subscription means we can hire more veterans and keep their hard-earned knowledge in the fight. Don’t let their voices be silenced. Please consider subscribing now.
One team, one fight,
Brandon Webb former Navy SEAL, Bestselling Author and Editor-in-Chief
Barrett is the world leader in long-range, large-caliber, precision rifle design and manufacturing. Barrett products are used by civilians, sport shooters, law enforcement agencies, the United States military, and more than 75 State Department-approved countries around the world.
PO Box 1077 MURFREESBORO, Tennessee 37133 United States
Scrubba Wash Bag
Our ultra-portable washing machine makes your journey easier. This convenient, pocket-sized travel companion allows you to travel lighter while helping you save money, time and water.
Our roots in shooting sports started off back in 1996 with our founder and CEO, Josh Ungier. His love of airguns took hold of our company from day one and we became the first e-commerce retailer dedicated to airguns, optics, ammo, and accessories. Over the next 25 years, customers turned to us for our unmatched product selection, great advice, education, and continued support of the sport and airgun industry.
COMMENTS
There are on this article.
You must become a subscriber or login to view or post comments on this article.