# Military Response to Omicron and COVID-19: Federal Armed Forces and National Guard > Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more. URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/crs%3AIN11867 ## Record - **Collection:** Congressional research report - **Document type:** CRS Insight - **Published:** March 28, 2022 - **Citation:** IN11867 ## Text INSIGHTi Military Response to Omicron and COVID-19: Federal Armed Forces and National Guard Updated March 28, 2022 On November 26, 2021, the World Health Organization designated the Omicron mutation of the SARSCoV-2 virus a “variant of concern.” Since then, Omicron has become the dominant strain of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States. After a case surge from December 2021 through midJanuary 2022, COVID-19 cases in the United States have dropped, with hospitalizations and deaths following the same trend after a short delay. The deployment of military and National Guard personnel remains an issue for Congress given the role they both played in responding to the Omicron COVID-19 surge and the role that they might play in the event of a future surge of a new variant. Deployments of Federal Armed Forces for Hospital Support The U.S. Army North, U.S. Northern Command’s Joint Force Land Component Command, manages the Department of Defense’s COVID-19 response operation in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services. Since August 2021, “approximately 1,275 military medical personnel from the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy are continuing to work alongside civilian healthcare providers in civilian hospitals, helping treat COVID-19 patients in a total of 30 states and the Navajo Nation.” Figure 1 shows U.S. Army North’s COVID-19 deployments for hospital support starting January 1, 2022. Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN11867 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Congressional Research Service 2 Figure 1. U.S. Army North COVID-19 Hospital Support Deployments (i.e., number of military medical personnel) with Scheduled Start Dates from January 1 to March 1, 2022 Source: CRS using data from U.S. Army North (Fifth Army), “Fact Sheet: U.S. Army North COVID-19 Hospital Support Beginning August 2021,” March 1, 2022. Notes: Any possible ongoing deployments, in these or other states, have not been depicted. CRS cannot confirm whether they occurred as planned. Deployments of the National Guard On January 21, 2021, President Biden signed the “Memorandum to Extend Federal Support to Governors’ Use of the National Guard to Respond to COVID-⁠19 and to Increase Reimbursement and Other Assistance Provided to States.” It approved 100% federal cost sharing for full-time National Guard duty; the funding status was later extended through April 1, 2022. For more information on National Guard funding as a response to the pandemic, see CRS In Focus IF11483, The National Guard and the COVID19 Pandemic Response, by Alan Ott. Figure 2 and Table 1 provide the number of National Guard personnel by state from January 7, 2022, to February 24, 2022, activated in support of steady-state COVID-19 operations. According to the National Guard Bureau, steady-state COVID-19 operations include “ongoing operations, security cooperation, and other shaping or preventive activities. It should include measurable and achievable objectives that contribute to the strategic end states.” Congressional Research Service 3 Figure 2. National Guard Personnel Activated by State to Support Steady-State COVID-19 Operations January 7, 2022, to February 24, 2022 Source: CRS using data from National Guard Bureau, January-February, 2022. Note: Each week’s number gives a snapshot of the National Guard activated in that state or territory at that time. Includes DC and several U.S. territories. CRS cannot confirm the presence or absence of active National Guard in any territory not included. Data received on a weekly basis. Table 1. National Guard Personnel Activated by State to Support Steady-State COVID-19 Operations January 7, 2022, to February 24, 2022 State 1/7/22 1/14/22 1/21/22 1/28/22 2/4/22 2/11/22 2/18/22 2/24/22 AK 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 AL 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 AR 24 78 82 82 79 47 21 9 AZ 491 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 CA 282 429 602 596 599 599 599 599 CO 266 266 300 291 300 300 170 144 CT 131 214 87 227 230 228 223 217 DC 0 90 88 88 85 82 82 82 DE 210 288 294 427 425 420 386 366 FL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Congressional Research Service State 4 1/7/22 1/14/22 1/21/22 1/28/22 2/4/22 2/11/22 2/18/22 2/24/22 GA 482 482 482 482 482 482 482 482 GU 206 125 125 184 181 181 181 181 HI 306 306 306 306 306 306 306 306 IA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ID 0 0 0 0 46 52 64 64 IL 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 IN 540 532 870 1,092 1,063 1,068 1,060 1,051 KS 0 0 0 79 79 79 79 0 KY 244 445 560 556 565 576 593 566 LA 849 916 973 973 996 963 952 952 MA 423 557 557 1,176 1,018 1,048 1,040 1,037 MD 143 147 1,486 811 818 822 827 855 ME 207 206 208 374 367 362 357 357 MI 152 152 152 152 152 152 152 152 MN 669 664 649 604 604 545 520 488 MO 38 38 38 38 38 0 0 0 MS 3 3 3 3 0 0 0 0 MT 105 105 105 105 105 105 105 105 NC 186 189 194 200 212 232 232 231 ND 59 58 55 57 57 54 52 53 NE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 NH 104 177 177 246 246 240 237 239 NJ 436 648 662 673 670 665 664 520 NM 94 94 100 103 104 102 100 100 NV 130 130 92 142 146 144 144 143 NY 1,394 1,429 1,575 1,804 1,959 1,978 1,967 1,934 OH 2,499 2,425 2,366 2,446 2,220 1,920 1,505 759 OK 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 OR 29 64 64 1,224 1,226 1,224 1,223 1,223 PA 117 114 120 191 193 188 187 185 PR 609 613 658 674 669 659 653 577 RI 28 213 217 214 213 208 198 192 SC 111 111 41 41 41 41 41 41 SD 0 5 5 7 7 4 1 0 TN 398 398 37 37 37 37 38 38 TX 1,292 1,292 1,292 1,292 1,292 1,292 1,292 1,292 UT 95 95 95 190 190 190 190 190 Congressional Research Service 5 VA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 VI 109 109 109 109 109 108 106 106 VT 110 120 117 128 128 129 128 128 WA 5 5 5 111 117 117 121 121 WI 538 533 523 519 580 573 555 555 WV 513 513 513 513 513 513 513 513 WY 23 156 24 24 22 22 22 22 Grand Total 14,700 15,604 17,073 19,656 19,554 19,122 18,433 17,240 Source: CRS using data from National Guard Bureau, January-February, 2022. Notes: Each week’s number gives a snapshot of the National Guard activated in that state or territory at that time. Includes DC and several U.S. territories. CRS cannot confirm the presence or absence of active National Guard in any territory not included. Data received on a weekly basis. Author Information Hannah Fischer Information Research Specialist Disclaimer This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material. IN11867 · VERSION 4 · UPDATED --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/crs%3AIN11867. Public record. Not legal advice.