U.S. Department of Defense awards $5.2B in contracts for face masks, other medical supplies

The Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has changed the way millions of Americans work every day.

The U.S. troops face a formidable adversary that does not get tired, does not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants, and will only be defeated with teamwork, discipline and sustained nationwide response. COVID-19 will be a long fight that demands hard work, innovative thinking, stamina, and agility.

The U.S. Department of Defense awarded $5.2 billion in contracts for various aspects of coronavirus response – face masks, other medical supplies, according to UPI.com.

- ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW -

An April 9 Defense Department notice gives further details, stating that BTF Solutions, General Dynamics Information Technology, V W International Inc., Walsh Healthcare Logistics, Martek Global Services Inc., Red Cedar Corp., Strategic Initial Outfitting Transition, were awarded $5 billion in support of the presidential national emergency declaration concerning the novel coronavirus disease.

The overall ceiling is now $5,495,000,000.

On Friday, the number of deaths caused by the coronavirus surged past the 100,000 mark, doubling in nearly a week.

The coronavirus has now infected over 500,000 people in the U.S. on Friday night, constituting almost one-third of all cases across the globe, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

As of 9:25 p.m. Eastern Time, the U.S. has recorded 500,399 cases of the coronavirus disease, or Covid-19, of which 174,481 were in New York, the data showed.

Readers who wish to follow our weekly coverage can subscribe to the Weekly Defense Roundup.

If you wish to report a grammatical or factual error in this article, please let us know by using the online form.

Executive Editor
  • In this story
  • USA

Support The Defence Blog

Independent reporting takes resources. Join us on Patreon.

Become a patron

More Like This

U.S. Army Reserve tests Pyka’s autonomous cargo aircraft in live exercise

Pyka's autonomous cargo aircraft DropShip flew a 32 km (20-mile) resupply mission entirely without a human pilot from Gulfport to Diamondhead, Mississippi, then executed...

Mayman Aerospace CEO: autonomous drones must replace helicopters in contested battlespace

At 3 a.m. in a contested forward operating base, a patrol thirty kilometres out is taking casualties. They need blood, plasma, and ammunition, not...

U.S. Army buys more of its toughest Arctic combat vehicle

The U.S. Army awarded BAE Systems Land and Armaments a $35 million contract modification on June 30, 2026, for additional production of the general-purpose...

AEVEX wins $50M deal for GPS-resistant strike drones

AEVEX Corp. secured a $50 million contract from the United States Air Force on June 30, 2026, to continue expanding unmanned mission-support capabilities for...

U.S. Air Force spends $471M to fix tanker parts supply problem

The U.S. Air Force awarded a combined $471 million in contracts to 28 different companies on a single day, spreading the work of exchanging...