The U.S. Department of Defense issued a 60-day stop movement order Wednesday for all uniformed and civilian personnel as well as family members overseas to help prevent further spread of the coronavirus and to protect American service members.
The order means no travel will be permitted for military exercises as well as for deployments to and from combat operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, according to a Pentagon release.
"The Minnesota National Guard is evaluating how the stop travel order will impact the Minnesota National Guard in current and future deployments," Maj. Scott Hawks, state public affairs officer for the Minnesota National Guard, said in a statement. "The impact will vary from unit to unit. At this time we are unable to provide any specifics."
Approximately 700 Minnesota National Guard soldiers with the 34th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade are currently deployed in the Middle East but are not due to come home until early fall, well outside the 60-day stop movement order.
The move furthers the Pentagon's previously enacted coronavirus-related restrictions on foreign travel, permanent change of station moves, temporary duty and personal leave.
Approximately 90,000 service members are scheduled to deploy or redeploy over the next 60 days, and the Pentagon said they will "likely be impacted by this stop movement order."
The Pentagon also stated the order isn't expected to impact the drawdown of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
Earlier this week, a U.S. Marine who was stationed at the Pentagon tested positive for COVID-19, the Pentagon's first confirmed case of the virus. He is currently in home isolation, and the Department of Defense stated that his last day working in the Pentagon was March 13.
Reid Forgrave • 612-673-4647
