News / Military

UK military finally winds down coronavirus campaign

Wednesday, 20 May 2020 6:05 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 6:05 PM ]

The British army launched a sophisticated propaganda and informational campaign around the coronavirus crisis

After months of grandstanding over the coronavirus pandemic, the UK military has finally been forced to officially wind down its campaign.

According to Sky News, the armed forces are set to “dramatically reduce” the number of personnel in their “COVID Support Force” (CSF).

Coronavirus: Armed forces set to dramatically reduce personnel in 'COVID Support Force'https://t.co/ZYBgcXCAf4 pic.twitter.com/0qIyyme0Da
— Alistair Bunkall (@AliBunkallSKY) May 20, 2020

Originally, as part of Operation Rescript, the military had mobilized 20,000 personnel to help the government and the National Health Service (NHS) to manage the coronavirus crisis.

Coronavirus prompts largest British military mobilization in nearly two decades

In a sign that the coronavirus pandemic could potentially touch off serious social and political instability in the UK, the military is undergoing its biggest mobilization in 17 years to meet the threat.

Operation Rescript had planned for the most extreme scenarios, with contingencies in place to deploy troops in central London to restore law and order.

Sky News is reporting that only 4,000 of these personnel were used in an operational capacity, mostly in the form of supplying personal protection equipment to frontline NHS staff.

Critical observers had accused the military – and especially the army- of using the crisis to engage in a propaganda exercise.

British army coronavirus propaganda operation suffers setback

The British army

These claims were lent greater credibility after it transpired that the field hospital set up by the army, NHS Nightingale, had only treated 51 Covid-19 patients.

The House of Commons Defense Select Committee launched an inquiry into the armed forces’ performance during the pandemic only a week after NHS Nightingale was forced to shut down because of chronic under-use.