The role of armed forces in the COVID-19 pandemic

english

2022

volume 15, issue 1

Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

Although the COVID-19 pandemic is not a crisis which demands that military forces are used as a main way of countering this threat, most countries have in fact deployed their national armed forces. The extent of such use varies and depends on the national legal framework determining the role of armed forces in crisis management. In certain countries, only regular forces were deployed while in others reserve forces were also activated. The role of armed forces has varied not simply regarding the type of force, but also the type of tasks. The COVID-19 crisis is not the first health crisis for which armed forces have been used. The Ebola crisis in 2014–2015 offers several important lessons for both armed forces and decision-makers. This paper is based on analysis of the extent of armed forces use in the COVID-19 pandemic in seven countries during the pandemic’s first wave in the northern hemisphere in the first half of 2020, problematising the issue of using armed forces in a medical crisis, while identifying challenges and benefits of such use.

20.12.2023