The Pentagon has ousted its expert on industrial policy in preparation for the agency to take an integral role in President Donald Trump’s COVID-19 vaccine effort, dubbed Operation Warp Speed.
Jen Santos, who was recently fired from the industrial policy post, will transfer to the U.S. Navy, where she will work for Hondo Geurts, the service’s acquisition executive. Santos’ background is mainly focused on China and foreign investment in the U.S.
The Pentagon is looking for someone with a manufacturing background to fill the industrial policy role, Pentagon chief spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told reporters May 15. Santos led all of the military’s Defense Production Act efforts.
Trump announced the launch of Operation Warp Speed May 15, and put U.S. Army Materiel Command Gen. Gus Perna on the leadership team for the whole-of-government effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. He will work alongside venture capitalist Moncef Saloui, the former head of GlaxoSmithKline’s vaccines division. Salouis will be the chief adviser for Operation Warp Speed.
Perna, who appeared with the president in the Rose Garden, said the military will rely on its logistical sustainment capabilities to combat COVID-19.
“It will be a herculean task,” Perna said. “We will defeat the enemy. Why? Because winning matters.”
Defense Secretary Mark Esper pledged the vaccine will be ready by year’s end for the American people and its partners abroad. But this claim does not align with the opinions of public health experts, who believe it will take much longer to develop, test and distribute a vaccine.
The Pentagon signed a $138 million contract earlier this week with ApiJect Systems America for the delivery of medical-grade injection devices by October. The deal ensures hundreds of millions of syringes will be ready when a vaccine is developed.
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