Perna set to retire from Warp Speed later this summer

WASHINGTON — Gus Perna, the four-star Army general responsible for coordinating the U.S. coronavirus vaccine response, is set to retire this summer, according to four current and former Health and Human Services officials. A number of Perna’s top deputies have also left the initiative in recent weeks, including Doug Meyer, the operation’s former chief of operations, Marion Whicker, the former deputy chief of supply, production and distribution, and Eric Shirley, the operation’s former chief of staff, according to STAT’s review of the officials’ LinkedIn profiles. Other officials appear to be looking for new jobs: The initiative’s general counsel, Gregory Gillette, wrote on his LinkedIn profile that he is “looking to transition this fall.” advertisement Operation Warp Speed is technically ongoing. The Biden administration has renewed the agreement that allows the military and health departments to work together on the initiative, but it also quietly changed the name. Now, Warp Speed is known as the Countermeasures Acceleration Group, according to two sources. The Biden administration has downplayed the contributions of the Warp Speed operation to the U.S. vaccination effort. In addition to the name change, the administration has largely centralized the vaccine distribution effort within the White House, rather than relying…
Read More