The coronavirus outbreak will change the way the Department of Defense operates, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley said Tuesday at a Pentagon press conference.

“I don’t see how we get back to life as normal,” Milley told reporters. “It’s not going to be business as usual.”

He said an eventual after-action report will cover lessons learned and how the pandemic has impacted national security, including the effect on politics inside other countries.

Milley appeared at the press conference alongside Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who said all movement decisions “will be decided by science,” including testing. Esper also said DOD understands that its decisions impact families and communities.

“For good reasons, much of America is focused inward,” Esper said. “We are still focused not just inside but outside. I still have that national security mission first and forefront, in addition to protecting our people.”

DOD photo by Marvin Lynchard