The bold that you think is so important in your post, also describes the United States Army.
In fact the Army appears to be at a level higher than CDC in it's work on some things, as you just skipped post 110.
You are ignoring the facts, that the Army has been doing this since the 1800s, that it has been involved in EVERY EBOLA OUTBREAK SINCE THE FIRST ONE IN 1976, THAT IT IS CURRENTLY IN AFRICA, DOING WHAT IT ALWAYS DOES.
And you seem to base this on having served in the Navy, well I served in the Army and I never saw this stuff either, I had to read about it, something that should do, you can start with reading my posts.
""USAMRIID is the only U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) laboratory equipped to study highly hazardous viruses at Biosafety Level 4 within positive pressure personnel suits.""
""USAMRIID was the first bio-facility of its type to research the Ames strain of anthrax, determined through genetic analysis to be the bacterium used in the 2001 anthrax attacks.""
""Scientists hopeful Army screening of 2,000 drugs will find treatment of SARS virus. They are being tested at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Md.""
""At the request of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a small team of scientists at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Ft. Detrick, Md., has trained its microscopes on severe acute respiratory syndrome.
"This [research] does in fact fit into our overall mission in that although we have not had an outbreak in the military yet, if we were operating in an area where the SARS virus was in fact transmitting, this would be a significant military problem," said John Huggins. An expert in viral research and chief of the laboratory's viral therapeutics branch, Huggins' major concentration has been on screening drugs against viral agents, including Ebola, Marburg, smallpox and now SARS.
Scientists at the Army institute normally work to develop strategies for protecting military personnel against biological warfare threats and naturally occurring infectious diseases.
"Because SARS poses a global health problem for the military and civilians potentially, we were asked to participate in this effort also," he said. As of May 29, according to CDC, the virus had caused 750 deaths worldwide, although no SARS related deaths have been reported in the United States.
For years, the institute has been part of a government consortium of research facilities that includes the CDC, the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The Fort Detrick institute and CDC have existing collaborations on smallpox virus, Huggins said.""
At the heart of CDC's highly capable and committed global health staff are the more than 280 assignees in 50-plus countries, including approximately 40 staff detailed to international organizations. They are supported by the expertise and efforts of approximately 1,500 locally employed staff, 100 contract staff, and 30 fellows working overseas and supplemented by hundreds of headquarters staff who travel overseas each year to provide temporary technical assistance and expertise.
To suggest that the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Md. is anywhere comparable to the resources and expertise of CDC is ridiculous. It has a much more circumscribed and limited mission than CDC. I have no doubt they are playing a key role in combating Ebola, which represents a possible biological weapon that could be used against us.
My point is and has been that the military should not be taking the lead role in directing and coordinating the US effort in Africa. The CDC should be the lead agency and I am wondering why Obama has taken the unprecedented step of making the military the lead agency.