During the peak of COVID-19 there were 50,000 Soldiers including active duty, National Guard and reserve supporting the effort to help deal with the pandemic. That message was conveyed to a Military Affairs Council audience at the Milford Lake Conference Center by Michael Grinston, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Thursday morning. "That are out making sure that our hospitals are still running, making sure that we could protect the nation at home."

Grinston noted that there was also a need to return to training. "They sent us out. The Chief ( Chief of Staff of the Army, James McConville ) went to all the training bases and said how do we bring Soldiers into the Army. We have to do this, we've got to protect the force, keep us safe so we can protect the nation whenever we're called."

Grinston reported that 178,000 U.S. Soldiers are currently forward deployed across the globe.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597327178184.jpeg" alt="Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston - Photo courtesy Military Affairs Council, Junction City" />
 <figcaption>Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston - Photo courtesy Military Affairs Council, Junction City</figcaption>
 </figure>During the peak of COVID-19 there were 50,000 Soldiers including active duty, National Guard and reserve supporting the effort to help deal with the pandemic. That message was conveyed to a Military Affairs Council audience at the Milford Lake Conference Center by Michael Grinston, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Thursday morning. "That are out making sure that our hospitals are still running, making sure that we could protect the nation at home."Grinston noted that there was also a need to return to training. "They sent us out. The Chief ( Chief of Staff of the Army, James McConville ) went to all the training bases and said how do we bring Soldiers into the Army. We have to do this, we've got to protect the force, keep us safe so we can protect the nation whenever we're called."Grinston reported that 178,000 U.S. Soldiers are currently forward deployed across the globe.

Sergeant Major of the Army addresses military support and training during COVID-19