How Coronavirus Could Permanently Transform The U.S. Military (From Forbes)

Much of official Washington seems to believe that once the coronavirus crisis passes, the nation can get back to normal. That might turn out to not be the case. There may never be a reliable vaccine to ward off COVID-19, just as there has never been a vaccine for the common cold. Even if there is, it will take a long time arriving–maybe years. In the meantime, the military will have to adjust its training and operations to minimize the danger of spreading infection. That is no small thing. Beyond that, every bad actor in the world now realizes that the world’s sole remaining superpower can be crippled by mere microbes, at a time when thousands of scientists around the globe have the skills to fashion novel pathogens. This will all have to be factored into U.S. security plans, and it makes any return to what used to be called “normal” unlikely. I have written a commentary for Forbes here.