COVID-19 and the World's Militaries
Governance

COVID-19 and the World's Militaries

A snapshot of how COVID-19 has reshaped military activity across the globe

Soldiers in blue camouflage helmets and face masks stand in formation holding bayonets a parade on Armed Forces Day in Naypyidaw, Myanmar.
Military personnel participates in a parade on Armed Forces Day in Naypyidaw, Myanmar. REUTERS/Stringer

COVID-19 has wended its way into every corner of life, including the military, from bases to the front lines.

With tensions heightened in Ukraine over a possible Russian conflict, concerns about COVID-19's impact on troops is high. Not just in Ukraine, but across the globe, the pandemic has changed the conversation around military preparedness and challenged and reshaped military relations within countries and between nations.

Defense spaces have also served as proving grounds for medical innovation. For instance, in many countries, the armed forces have been at the forefront of vaccine development, administration, and other pandemic aid. And personal protective equipment has become an indispensable part of many military uniforms. 

Our slideshow shows some of the ways COVID-19 and militaries have collided. 

COVID-19 and Armed Forces Around the World

A Ugandan soldier in a green uniform gives a bag a food to a young woman in a yellow dress.
Medical personnel in blue camouflage uniforms arrive with medical supplies in transport aircraft of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force.
One female and three male Ukrainian soldiers stand in a trench on the front lines of the war in Donbas.
A soldier directs women in colorful dresses and headscarves in a classroom that doubles as a vaccination site.
An aircraft carrier waving the French tricolor flag is docked at a port against a backdrop of mountains.
Two U.S. soldiers in green uniforms examine vials of vaccine material and data.
A rebel soldier helps a young female soldier cross a muddy stream surrounded by dense green jungle.
A soldier in a navy blue Marine Corps vest carries a blue cooler of vaccines through an active vaccination site.
Four uniformed U.S. Marines file out of a grey personnel carrier aircraft.
Nurses in turquoise medical gowns administer vaccines to military officers in green uniforms bedecked with medals.
An old woman wrapped in Brazil's green and yellow flag confronts a Brazilian soldier in front of Brazil's Army Headquarters.
An Indian soldier in a camouflage uniform stands guard. Behind him migrants in colorful clothes sit in the shade of a high wall.
Russian soldiers in khaki-colored combat gear bearing rifles stand in a line in the desert with a Russian flag.
Close
A Ugandan soldier in a green uniform gives a bag a food to a young woman in a yellow dress. Medical personnel in blue camouflage uniforms arrive with medical supplies in transport aircraft of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force. One female and three male Ukrainian soldiers stand in a trench on the front lines of the war in Donbas. A soldier directs women in colorful dresses and headscarves in a classroom that doubles as a vaccination site. An aircraft carrier waving the French tricolor flag is docked at a port against a backdrop of mountains. Two U.S. soldiers in green uniforms examine vials of vaccine material and data. A rebel soldier helps a young female soldier cross a muddy stream surrounded by dense green jungle. A soldier in a navy blue Marine Corps vest carries a blue cooler of vaccines through an active vaccination site. Four uniformed U.S. Marines file out of a grey personnel carrier aircraft. Nurses in turquoise medical gowns administer vaccines to military officers in green uniforms bedecked with medals. An old woman wrapped in Brazil's green and yellow flag confronts a Brazilian soldier in front of Brazil's Army Headquarters. An Indian soldier in a camouflage uniform stands guard. Behind him migrants in colorful clothes sit in the shade of a high wall. Russian soldiers in khaki-colored combat gear bearing rifles stand in a line in the desert with a Russian flag.
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Lillian Posner is a research associate for Think Global Health at the Council on Foreign Relations.

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