The Pentagon on Friday stood by its decision to conduct a clandestine disinformation campaign in the Philippines in 2020 that aimed to sow doubt about China's COVID-19 vaccine during the height of the global pandemic -- a campaign that was first revealed in a bombshell report by Reuters^[1].

The U.S. military launched the disinformation campaign following a decision by then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper to loosen restrictions on such operations, and used phony online accounts posing as Filipinos in an effort "to discredit China's Sinovac inoculation -- payback for Beijing's efforts to blame Washington for the pandemic," Reuters reported. At the time, the Philippines was struggling to vaccinate its population and had one of the worst death rates in the region.

The Philippines disinformation campaign marks an unusual use of military power in a country that has often been a U.S. ally in a strategically crucial region and at a time of great public health risks. Lisa Lawrence, a Defense Department spokeswoman, did not deny Reuters' reporting on the operation, which was done under the administration of former President Donald Trump and continued for some time under the Biden administration.

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The Pentagon "conducts a wide range of operations, including operations in the information environment (OIE), to counter adversary malign influence" and "this process is deliberate, methodical, and comprehensive," Lawrence said in a statement. "The DoD uses a variety of platforms, including social media, to counter those malign influence attacks."

Lawrence also echoed Reuters' reporting, saying, "China [in 2020] initiated a disinformation campaign to falsely blame the United States for the spread of COVID-19."

Reuters found at least 300 accounts on X, formerly Twitter, "that matched descriptions shared by former U.S. military officials familiar with the Philippines operation."

The posts from those accounts "centered on the slogan #Chinaangvirus," which in the Philippine language Tagalog means "China is the virus." They often focused on giving credence to the false claim that, since vaccines sometimes contain pork gelatin, the Chinese-made shots could be forbidden for Muslims under Islamic law.

The social media activity began during Trump's administration when Esper signed a secret order that made it easier for commanders to compete with Russia and China by enabling them to bypass the State Department when conducting information warfare against the two countries, Reuters reported.

The report also noted that the program "continued months into Joe Biden's presidency ... even after alarmed social media executives warned the new administration that the Pentagon had been trafficking in COVID misinformation."

Experts have long objected to the use of vaccines and vaccination campaigns as part of military operations, arguing that they not only lead to a loss of trust and confidence in vaccines as a whole but have also endangered medical workers.

Perhaps the biggest outrage came after it was revealed in 2011 that the CIA used a fake hepatitis vaccination program^[3] as part of its efforts to track down and kill Osama bin Laden, who was hiding in Pakistan.

The ruse led to outrage from doctors worldwide and a promise in 2014 from the CIA^[4] not to use immunization programs as cover for its operations in the future.

However, the damage had been done, and backlash against unrelated polio vaccination efforts in the region took hold. Attacks against vaccination workers continue to this day^[5]. Pakistan and Afghanistan are now the only two countries that have yet to be declared free of wild poliovirus type 1.

Related: Pentagon Complied with COVID-19 Waiver Rules According to Watchdog But Services Moved Slowly^[6]

The Defense Department will now cover certain costs for service members to ship breast milk during a permanent change of station^[1] move.

Service members breastfeeding an infant up to 12 months old can now be reimbursed up to $1,000 in shipping expenses as part of ongoing initiatives to alleviate out-of-pocket costs for troops during military-related travel. The benefit does not apply to military spouses^[2] or other family members who are nursing infants.

"This allowance targets those costs that military families with infants previously had to pay out of pocket," said Christopher Woods, policy branch chief at the Defense Travel Management Office, during an interview Thursday with Military.com. "Simply put, this policy helps make moves easier, and it strengthens support for military families."

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The new policy will cover the cost of items such as dry ice, commercial shipping, excess baggage fees and other associated expenses. It will not reimburse for packaging or the cost of containers -- those expenses are not allowable under other regulations, according to Woods.

During a permanent change of station move, service members may be separated from their babies as a result of requiring separate travel arrangements, or their babies may be accompanying them but need supplies such as dry ice and other equipment during international flights or long drives to the next duty station.

More than 400,000 military personnel move each year, and up to 29,000 may benefit from the change, according to Woods.

The update to the Joint Travel Regulations, effective as of June 1, follows a similar change in 2022^[4] when the DoD began reimbursing service members and civilian employees for costs associated with shipping breast milk during official travel.

In April, an Air Force^[5] nurse contacted Military.com questioning why the benefit was extended for temporary duty but not for permanent change of station moves^[6]. One of her patients, an active-duty family, had an eight-week old baby and a freezer full of breast milk that they were told they would have to ship themselves.

"I know this may be a rare situation, but [it] would have a major impact on military families," the nurse wrote.

DoD officials said the military services raised concerns about the PCS^[7] issue, and the travel policy office "quickly coordinated with stakeholders across DoD to craft a solution."

"For those service members who have a recommendation -- good, bad, whatever it is -- we encourage them to work with their local finance and personnel offices and provide feedback to them. Those offices can work in conjunction with headquarters offices, and those issues can be brought forward," Woods said.

That seems to be what happened in the case of the civilian nurse. Deedra Nelson, who works for the New Parent Support Program at Hill Air Force Base^[8], Utah, said she spoke with her leadership, who took her concerns to the Military Community Advocacy Directorate.

She was surprised by the speed of the change.

"It will make a huge difference for [my client's] family, and [they] are incredibly grateful," Nelson wrote in an email to Military.com after the announcement. "When service members and families see that their concerns and suggestions are taken seriously, it can boost morale and trust in leadership, and prevents the DoD from becoming stagnant with policy initiatives."

To be eligible for the reimbursement, service members must receive authorization with their PCS orders before they incur any expenses. The expenses then must be claimed in their PCS vouchers once the move is complete.

All receipts, regardless of amount, must accompany the claim, according to the policy.

Only active-duty nursing mothers are eligible for the reimbursement. Woods said civilian employees have allowances that cover miscellaneous expenses, depending on their agreements with the Defense Department.

"We're proud to support this initiative. We're proud to make moves easier for service members and their families," Woods said.

Related: The Military's New Pet Transportation Policy: What It Means to You^[9]