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Joint Chiefs Boss, Officers Quarantine as Admiral Infected

Military’s Chief to Quarantine After an Admiral Tests Positive

General Mark Milley, the top U.S. military officer, is among members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who are in self-quarantine after the Coast Guard’s vice commandant tested positive for the coronavirus, a Pentagon official said Tuesday.

Coast Guard Admiral Charles Ray was tested “after feeling mild symptoms over the weekend,” his service said in a statement.

Although the Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security, Ray was at the Pentagon last week “for meetings with other senior military leaders” including service chiefs, Defense Department spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement.

The risk of the coronavirus spreading through the top ranks of the military may have a connection to the virus’s expanding toll at the White House, where the disease has hit President Donald Trump and others who work at the executive mansion or have visited in recent weeks: Admiral Ray, Milley and other top military officials attended an event there for Gold Star families on Sept. 27.

The self-quarantining of the military leaders was first reported by CNN.

Joint Chiefs Boss, Officers Quarantine as Admiral Infected

The Democratic chairman of the House Armed Services Committee sought to blame Trump.

“While our military can still operate while leadership is quarantined, the national security implications of the president’s recklessness cannot be overstated,” Representative Adam Smith of Washington said in a statement. He said Americans know Trump “is weak and so do those who wish us harm.”

Hoffman didn’t identify how many members of the Joint Chiefs -- the nation’s uniformed military leaders -- came into contact and are self-quarantining.

In addition to Milley, who’s chairman of the Joint Chiefs, officials confirmed that others who are isolating themselves because of potential contact at the meeting with Ray on Friday include General Charles Brown, the Air Force chief of staff; Admiral Mike Gilday, the chief of naval operations; General James McConville, the Army chief of staff; and General John Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

“We are conducting additional contact tracing and taking appropriate precautions to protect the force and the mission,” Hoffman said. “Out of an abundance of caution, all potential close contacts from these meetings are self-quarantining and have been tested this morning. No Pentagon contacts have exhibited symptoms and we have no additional positive tests to report at this time.”

In addition, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo saw Milley on Sunday before leaving for a trip to Japan.

“The secretary undergoes repeated testing and is evaluated almost daily by a department physician as he prepares for, conducts, or returns from engagements overseas,” William Walters, the State Department’s deputy chief medical officer, said in a statement. “We are following the current situation at the White House and Pentagon closely, and are applying the best science and the current public health recommendations to our support to the secretary and all of our frontline workers.”

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