Pentagon Official: US Sends Additional Personnel to Assist in Liberia Ebola Efforts - East Idaho News
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Pentagon Official: US Sends Additional Personnel to Assist in Liberia Ebola Efforts

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getty 092014 ebola?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1411243486142Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Following the arrival of Maj. General Darryl Williams in Liberia, the United States will send two aircraft with 45 personnel this weekend to assist in the country’s efforts to combat the Ebola virus outbreak.

Williams arrived with a 12-person assessment team earlier this week to determine the level of aid the U.S. military can provide to the anti-Ebola mission.

The additional workers arriving this weekend will help set up the headquarters for the joint command, which will be spearheaded by the Major General.

On Friday, Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby confirmed the two reprogramming requests the Department of Defense has made over the past week that could provide $1 million for Ebola efforts.

U.S. military personnel will not care for the sick individuals, rather, assist in training others. Workers will be provided with personal protective equipment, according to Kirby.

“The mission is to do some training, to build these units and do some logistics, some transports, the movement of material,” he said. “It is not to treat…They’re not doctors. They’re not nurses. They’re not trained for that and not equipped for that. That’s not part of the mission. So they will be kept in locations where they can do their jobs without coming into contact with patients.”



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