US President Barack Obama pledged to send 3,000 military personnel to West Africa in an attempt to combat the outbreak of the Ebola virus, as he warned the epidemic was “spiralling out of control.”
In remarks delivered to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, the US President called the outbreak a “potential threat to global security”, adding
“Faced with this outbreak, the world is looking to us, the United States, and it’s a responsibility that we embrace. We’re prepared to take leadership on this to provide the kinds of capabilities that only America has, and to mobilize the world in ways that only America can do. That’s what we’re doing as we speak.”
See his full speech here.
Obama went on to add,
“So this is an epidemic that is not just a threat to regional security -- it’s a potential threat to global security if these countries break down, if their economies break down, if people panic. That has profound effects on all of us, even if we are not directly contracting the disease.”
Stating that battling the disease was a “national security priority”, he announced US plans to order 3,000 troops to the region who will troops will build 17 health care centres as well as train 500 health workers a week.
His announcement comes as the United Nations said more than $1 billion was needed to fight the outbreak, calling the crisis "unparalleled in modern times".