Military

Pentagon orders 60-day troop freeze

Defense Secretary Mark Esper has ordered a stop to all troop movement overseas for 60 days to attempt to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the military, the Pentagon announced Wednesday. 

The stop movement order will apply to all U.S. forces, civilian personnel and families — including those scheduled to return stateside and those scheduled to deploy — with some exceptions, Esper first told Reuters on Wednesday. 

“This measure is taken to aid in further prevention of the spread of [COVID-19], to protect U.S. personnel and preserve the operational readiness of our global force,” according to the DOD statement.

The new order will not impact “the continued drawdown of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, which is scheduled to be complete within 135 days following the signed agreement.” 

There are 227 service members, 81 civilian employees, 67 dependents and 40 contractors who have tested positive for the illness COVID-19.