Army could step in to help mass test the nation, Britain’s top soldier reveals

BRITAIN’S top soldier has revealed the army is considering taking over plans to mass test the nation.

Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter revealed that the military will step in to run the logistics behind mass testing.

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Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter revealed the military will run the logistics behind mass testing.

It comes as Ministers come to terms with the fact the military’s know-how of logistics makes them more suited to rolling out the project, rather than medics at Public Health England.

Sir Nick said: “It will be predominantly about logistics expertise, planning, organising, applying foresight to it.
“And of course a focus on delivery which we have to do in our usual role.

“We are thoroughly linked in with Department of Health and Social Care in providing the advice that is necessary to work out how the systems will work.

“We also have our Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in Porton Down is very much involved in the diagnostics of this”.

Sir Nick Carter also claimed the thoughts and prayers of the armed forces are with the Prime Minister,and there was an established chain of command while he was ill.

He said: “We work straight through to the Prime Minister but of course there’s the National Security Council (NSC) that’s wrapped around him and formed of many of the Cabinet ministers and supported by the National Security Adviser.

“I think on that basis we’re pretty confident it’s business as usual as far as the operations are concerned.”

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Sir Nick said he believed Mr Raab would chair the NSC and be supported by others.

He also insisted the current lockdown measures were unlikely to go on beyond six months, but said the military would not need to get involved in the event of any civil disruption.

Sir Nick said: “I think it’s most unlikely that we would get involved in public order at all.

“Generally speaking our role in this is to back-fill the police in those roles that don’t face the public so the police force are able to manage public order on the country’s behalf.”

He added, if needed, they could help in the “non-prisoner facing” roles in prisons.