A glance at a newspaper or news program between May through June of 2014 tells the story. The Ebola virus developed into the foremost major crisis in West Africa, more specifically Liberia. The Liberian government became increasingly unable to manage the situation and the pandemic outbreak threatened to de-stabilize civil society. But what does this have to do with the United States? Why should Americans worry about a virus affecting people 4,600 miles away? Beyond providing medical aid and money, why would the U.S. deploy the Army into this crisis area? What would such a military operation look like? These questions will be explored in order to support or refute use of the Army in response to potential pandemic outbreaks in West Africa.

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