Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter revealed that the military will step in to run the logistics behind mass testing.
It comes as Ministers come to terms with the fact the military’s know-how of logistics makes them more suited to rolling out the project, rather than medics at Public Health England.
Sir Nick said: “It will be predominantly about logistics expertise, planning, organising, applying foresight to it.
“And of course a focus on delivery which we have to do in our usual role.
“We are thoroughly linked in with DHSC in providing the advice that is necessary to work out how the systems will work.
“Testing will ultimately be a system that will involve the acquisition of kits, their supply and distribution to customers for tests to happen, a role in administering those tests, and then the whole business of how samples get to laboratories.
“And how all that is connected with a sophisticated data management system.
“We also have our Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in Porton Down is very much involved in the diagnostics of this”.
Sir Nick Carter also said all the thoughts and prayers of the armed forces are with the Prime Minister.
He said there was a still a clear chain of command for the armed forces while the PM was sick, and said: “We work straight through to the Prime Minister but of course there’s the National Security Council (NSC) that’s wrapped around him and formed of many of the Cabinet ministers and supported by the National Security Adviser.
“I think on that basis we’re pretty confident it’s business as usual as far as the operations are concerned.”
Sir Nick said he believed Mr Raab would chair the NSC and be supported by others.
He said he thought that the current lockdown measures would not go on beyond six months, but said the military would not need to get involved in the event of any civil disruption.
Sir Nick said: “I think it’s most unlikely that we would get involved in public order at all.
“Generally speaking our role in this is to back-fill the police in those roles that don’t face the public so the police force are able to manage public order on the country’s behalf.”
He added, if needed, they could help in the “non-prisoner facing” roles in prisons.
