The military does an excellent job in assessing the international political situation and then amassing and prepositioning stockpiles of equipment at offshore bases. Then, should the should the need arise, there is little or no lag time getting troops and equipment into action. In addition the several branches of the Armed Forces maintain domestic supply depots. The Defense Supply Agency (https://www.dla.mil ) maintains numerous depots in the contiguous 48 states. This is where we drew material for worldwide aid assisting in relief for worldwide, devastating natural disasters.
The coronavirus has clearly demonstrated that the country, operating in a for profit medical system is utterly unprepared to meet the crisis of a medical pandemic of this magnitude. By its very nature no for profit business ever, ever, buys well ahead of its immediate needs, instead relying on suppliers to rapidly meet any new demand. Manufacturers do the same. They analyze their current orders, and input for possible reorders, manufacturing on that basis. But none had anticipated this need and thus only had inventories on hand to meet the then current requirements. Obviously, this was an international impossibility with the suppliers instantly overburdened and unable to meet demands. There is always, and always will be, a lag time between orders, manufacturing and delivery.
I'm of the belief that FEMA should take that lead and do the same with critical medical supplies, ie. ventilators, masks and hazmat suits at several, storing these supplies in several regional military depots. I suggest that new secure temperature controlled warehouses be constructed specifically for this purpose. Again, our military is expert in this this area, thus no new agency is required. Of course this assumes that congress can restrain itself!!! Once we have this crisis past us, FEMA ought to repurchase the thousands of excess ventilators, millions of unused masks and hazmat suits from the states, and store them in these new facilities. Excellent temporary structures could be in place pending construction of permanent warehouses. In doing so the federal government would pour millions of dollars back into the states, enabling them to have the cash flow to meet their respective needs.
Now, for my political statement... All of this would may very well have been avoided, lives saved, had the president taken to heart the warnings Lucian Borio in 2018, head of National Security Council global health security team. Instead he not only fired her, AND her staff, but to this day has yet to replace the staff with scientifically capable
people. Deny it as he may, patting himself on the back, the result of this pandemic in the United States, rests on his shoulders. Time lines and dozens of videos of him denying any responsibility, and instead blaming it on his predecessor don't lie and cannot be dismissed. This is all of the evidence any logically thinking person requires as evidence.
