Defence Committee Chair: Let The Military Do More To Help During Coronavirus Pandemic

The Government should make greater use of the military to support the country during the coronavirus pandemic, according to Defence Select Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood MP.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's The Week in Westminster, Mr Ellwood said: "95% per cent of our military are in barracks right now and I do believe we could call upon their support far greater than we currently are."

Mr Ellwood's comments come as fears grow of a second wave of the coronavirus, with the number of positive tests increasing.

The former Royal Green Jacket and Under-Secretary of State for Defence added: "The one department that plans for emergencies, that actually trains for when things go wrong is the Ministry of Defence.

"They know how to actually get systems across the country and run them."

The military has been extensively deployed in response to COVID-19 this year,

Some 20,000 personnel from all three services were at readiness, with more that 4,000 of them deployed at any one time. 

Soldiers and sailors ran mobile testing units and the Nightingale hospitals were rapidly constructed using military expertise and labour.

The armed forces also contributed in areas such as ambulance service support, laboratory analysis, and the delivery of PPE.

Cover image: British Army.