A militaristic vibe hung over the 22nd April Downing Street coronavirus briefing, not merely because acting Prime Minister Dominic Raab paid tribute to the British armed forces for their role in providing support to the UK's battle with the pandemic.
In addition to being joined chief medical officer Chris Whitty, chief of UK defence staff General Sir Nick Carter, the country's most senior military officer, appeared at the briefing for the very first time.
“The sight of our armed forces working side-by-side with NHS staff offers reassurance we will come through this crisis. It's only fitting to pay tribute to the amazing work of our armed forces and the Ministry of Defence. They've been there every step of the way, helping reinforce our critical care capacity, supporting local resilience in delivering personal protective equipment where it's needed most and [delivering] the mobile labs critical to ramping-up testing capacity right across the country,” Raab waxed.
The Foreign Secretary went on to praise the military for its role in constructing the NHS Nightingale hospital in London's docklands – as a result of the military's efforts, he claimed hospitals “have been able to treat more patients”, “save more lives” and ensure “the peak of this virus has not overwhelmed the NHS”.
Media reporting on 4,000-bed NHS unit has invariably and overwhelmingly focused on the crusading role of the British army in its building, with many soldiers in…
