America's top military officers have been forced to quarantine after exposure to COVID-19
- A number of top military officers are quarantining after exposure to another senior military leader who has tested positive for COVID-19.
- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and Vice Chairman Gen. John Hyten, as well as senior service leaders, met with Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard Adm. Charles Ray last week. The Coast Guard announced Tuesday he had tested positive.
- "There is no change to the operational readiness or mission capability of the US Armed Forces," a Pentagon spokesman said.
America's top generals — Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John Milley and Vice Chairman Gen. John Hyten — are quarantining after exposure to COVID-19, a defense official told Insider Tuesday.
Following the Coast Guard's announcement that Vice Commandant Adm. Charles Ray tested positive, the Pentagon acknowledged that he had attended meetings at the Pentagon last week with other senior military leaders.
"Out of an abundance of caution, all potential close contacts from these meetings are self-quarantining and have been tested this morning," Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman explained in an emailed statement. "No Pentagon contacts have exhibited symptoms and we have no additional positive tests to report at this time."
In addition to Milley and Hyten, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown, Chief of Space Operations for Space Force Gen. Jay Raymond, are also in quarantine, according to multiple reports.
Gen. Paul Nakasone, the head of Cyber Command, and National Guard Bureau chief Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson are quarantining as well.
"There is no change to the operational readiness or mission capability of the US Armed Forces," Hoffman said. "Senior military leaders are able to remain fully mission capable and perform their duties from an alternative work location."
"DoD has been following CDC guidelines since April with respect to temperature testing, social distancing, and the wearing of masks to the greatest extent when social distancing is not possible and will continue to do so," he added.