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.
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.
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.".
Pakistan and Afghanistan are now the only two countries that have yet to be declared free of wild poliovirus type 1.
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