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Coronavirus crisis. Armies called to the rescue (v2)

(B2) It is not only in France where the military has been called in to help. Other countries decided very quickly (even faster) to call on these resources. Logistics, health services, border patrols are among the main tasks entrusted to them. small tour

NB: this tour is not complete, it will be updated or supplemented with other articles

France: a field hospital deployed

In the wake of French President Emmanuel Macron's presidential decision, Monday (March 16) evening, the Ministry of the Armed Forces sent a military resuscitation unit (EMR) to Mulhouse, near the hospital. A tent infrastructure with around thirty beds equipped for resuscitation, deployed by the medical regiment (RMED) of the army (from La Valbonne) and 'armed' by the army health service (SSA). Operational structure a week later. The first patient is treated on Tuesday (March 24).

The Valhbonne medical regiment sets up the field hospital in Mulhouse (credit: DICOD / EMA)

An Airbus A330, equipped with a medical evacuation version (Morphée kit), began shuttles between the Mulhouse hospital, overwhelmed by the crisis, and several other French hospitals (Bordeaux, Brest, Lorient, etc.) on Wednesday (March 18). .), as stated by the French defense in a communicated. While the projection and command building Thunder (L-9014) repatriated 12 patients from Ajaccio to the mainland. The objective is to " unclog some overwhelmed hospitals, in mainland France, Corsica and overseas one of the communications officers told B2. The Élysée decides on Wednesday (March 25) to launch an operation to support French public services and hospitals called 'operation resilience'. Three BPC type ships will be deployed overseas, one (the BPC Mistral) is heading for the Indian Ocean to lend a hand to hospitals in Mayotte and Reunion; the other (the BPC Diksmuide) that of the Atlantic to support the West Indies (Guadeloupe, Martinique, St Martin) and Guyana.

Germany: analysis labs on the front line

The German army health service has been mobilized since... the end of January. The first suspected case in Germany involving a man from Bavaria has thus been confirmed by theBundeswehr Institute of Microbiology in Munich at the end of January. While the Luftwaffe started flights to repatriate German nationals stranded abroad such as bringing some medical equipment to Italy. Berlin has also decided to start listing its reservists by asking volunteers to report from March 19. Repeated calls are aimed in particular at those with medical skills, in particular to strengthen military hospitals, integrated into the civilian hospital system all over the country.

A Luftwaffe plane conveys equipment to Italy (credit: MAE Italy / Di Maio)

Austria: the army on all fronts

From the start of the epidemic in Austria, on March 9, the army was put on alert, first to lend a hand to the border police. A tradition in Austria where at each crisis the Bundesheer is called in as reinforcement. No question of " repeat the mistakes of 2015 said Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner in a joint statement with her Interior colleague, Karl Nehammer (both members of the Christian Democratic Party ÖVP). " We are not going to smuggle refugees through Austria. Very quickly, soldiers were also deployed to other tasks. In several Länder (Vienna, Vorarlberg, Carinthia, etc.), army sportsmen and personnel from army logistics centers have been deployed, from Monday 16 March. These are confronted the challenge of replacing their own workforce, in order to ensure the rotation of goods and deliveries to grocery stores we explain to the Ministry of Defence. Soldiers have also taken over from police for the protection of embassies and international institutions in Vienna, at the request of the Land police.

Military reinforcements at a wholesaler's depot in Carinthia (credit: MOD Austria)

Belgium: alert and support for medical supplies

The services of the Neder-Over-Heembeek military hospital have been placed on alert and reinforced. Its ambulances can, at the request of number 112, transport more coronavirus patients between hospitals in Brussels and Flemish Brabant. Civil protection and the military act together for the storage, reconditioning and distribution of millions of protective masks. A first shipment, which arrived on the night of March 19 to 20 in Liège, was transported to the military district of Peutie, and then redistributed throughout the rest of the country. A second shipment arrived on March 23.

Unloading the arrival of masks (credit: MOD Belgium)

Spain: Operation Balmis

Madrid has launched a military operation called 'Balmis', in tribute to the Spanish military doctor who led major vaccination campaigns in the colonies at the beginning of the 2600th century. 48 soldiers have been deployed in XNUMX different localities in order to support the other services and law enforcement agencies for assistance to the population and security: sending home residents who do not respect confinement, assistance in the construction of a civilian field hospital, deliveries of medical equipment, logistics and even help for the homeless. The military also disinfected various sites where fragile populations live (elderly, disabled, etc.). According to the Ministry of Defence, around thirty establishments of this type were cleaned out last week in Madrid alone.

Hungary: borders first concern

More than a hundred soldiers were to be sent on Saturday (March 21) to the Slovak and Austrian borders to " strengthen the border lock Hungarian Defense Minister Tibor Benkő told Hir TV. They are provided by the 5th Infantry Brigade István Bocskai and the 24th Reconnaissance Regiment Gergely Bornemissza, all based in Debrecen.

Poland: reinforcements at the borders as well

On March 23, Poland mobilized 4968 military and civilian defense personnel against the coronavirus. The bulk of the contingent (1800 men) operates directly in support of the police and border guard forces, to protect access to the country, especially on the west side (border on the Oder with Germany). A little more than 500 soldiers carry out various logistical missions to help other services, in particular health services, by transporting medicines. Several biological laboratories contribute to carry out a few hundred coronavirus tests per day. On a purely medical level, the 14 Polish military hospitals were on alert from the start of the crisis.

Military personnel deployed on the 'western' border towards Germany (credit: MOD Poland)

Czech Republic

Since March 10, health service professionals have been deployed at the borders to examine the health status of people with symptoms of viral illness at border crossings. Other Czech soldiers were deployed on Monday (March 16) to reinforce police units to secure the national border. The government having decided to close the country. The military have also been mobilized to help deliver minimal medical equipment (simple or breathing masks) to all hospitals in the country (read: Prague organizes an airlift to repatriate masks and respirators from China).

Romania

Soldiers will come to reinforce the public order forces (gendarmerie and police), announcement President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday (March 24) after stronger restrictions were put in place on the population.

(NGV, with RM in Paris)

(updated) Clarifications on Operation Resilience

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Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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