U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, visited Fort Benning with Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy to observe COVID-19 response protocols and risk mitigation techniques in training.

Senator Perdue and Secretary McCarthy met with soldiers and base leadership, viewed training exercises, and observed COVID-19 safeguards at Martin Army Community Hospital.

“Fort Benning continues to lead the way, even during the COVID-19 crisis,” said Senator David Perdue. “I was honored to welcome Secretary McCarthy back to Georgia today to learn how General Brito and his team have helped our soldiers and their families navigate this uncertain time. By implementing new safety measures, Fort Benning has been able to continue training operations and maintain readiness. Our women and men in uniform are the very best we have to offer, and I appreciate their strong dedication to serving our nation during this unprecedented time.”

“We are incredibly proud of the team at Fort Benning and their work to balance readiness with the health and safety of our force,” said Secretary Ryan McCarthy. “Their efforts are critical to our success. Soldiers cannot achieve readiness purely through virtual means, and Soldiers certainly can’t telework to combat. We take our responsibility to protect our communities as seriously as our duty to defend this nation, and we will continue to use every reasonable means to meet both standards.”

“We were honored to host members of the Senate, Secretary of the Army and Sergeant Major of the Army during their visit to Fort Benning,” said Maj. Gen. Gary M. Brito, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning. “Building readiness for our Army never stops and Fort Benning is doing a tremendous job enforcing social distancing, protecting the force and training soldiers and leaders in this COVID-19 environment. Proud of them!”