Pentagon Set To Vaccinate Troops, Assist In Flu Crisis

.... The Pentagon has bought 2.7 million doses of vaccine, and 1.4 million of those will go to active-duty military personnel. National Guard troops on active duty are also required to receive the vaccine, as are civilian Defense Department employees who are in critical jobs.

As a result, the military is expected to provide health officials with an early assessment of the vaccine's efficacy.

.... Renuart said that more than two dozen troops have been dispatched so far to each of five regional headquarters to work with officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and state leaders.

But the military presence could rise to 80 in each regional office if needed, he said.

For the general population, the first swine flu vaccine should be in some doctors' offices as early as Oct. 5, according to U.S. health officials.

The early batches will protect 6 million to 7 million people, but the government expects to eventually have 250 million doses of the new vaccine. About 10 percent of those have been promised to other countries.