In a shocking revelation, it has been reported that the Trump-era U.S. military conducted a clandestine operation to disseminate anti-vaccine sentiments, particularly in the Philippines, as part of an apparent effort to harm Chinese interests. This covert initiative came to light only after President Joe Biden took office.

According to Reuters, the secret campaign aimed to sow doubt about the safety and efficacy of vaccines and life-saving aid provided by China. By March 2021, Beijing had supplied millions of doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to nearly 70 countries, an effort that Forbes described as vaccine diplomacy.

The Trump-era Pentagon employed deceptive tactics to spread misinformation about public health measures. Defense Department staff created fake internet accounts, impersonating Filipinos and sharing social media posts that questioned the usefulness of face masks, test kits, and vaccines. The campaign specifically targeted China's Sinovac vaccine.

Reports suggest that approximately 300 accounts on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) matched descriptions provided by former U.S. military officials familiar with the operation. The majority of these accounts, created in the summer of 2020, promoted the hashtag "#Chinaangvirus," translating to "China is the virus." X removed these accounts after determining that their posts were part of a coordinated campaign.

This misinformation effort, initiated under President Donald Trump in the spring of 2020, was brought to an end after social media executives alerted the Biden administration. The Trump administration had previously denied the incoming president and his staff access to Defense Department offices and classified briefings during the transition period.

The campaign expanded beyond the Philippines, targeting Central Asia and the Middle East. In these regions, propaganda was tailored to incite Muslims against China's vaccines by insinuating that the vaccines contained pork gelatin, which would be seen as forbidden under Islamic law.

Public health experts expressed deep concern upon learning about this covert operation. Infectious disease specialist Daniel Lucey from Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine called it indefensible and expressed disappointment and disillusionment with the U.S. government's actions.

In response to the revelations, a spokesperson for the Pentagon claimed that the U.S. military uses various platforms, including social media, to counter malign influence attacks against the U.S., allies, and partners. The spokesperson also accused China of launching a disinformation campaign to falsely blame the United States for the spread of COVID-19.

Notably, the Pentagon's campaign was flagged as inauthentic by researchers from Stanford's Internet Observatory. However, the observatory recently ceased operations following Republican criticism that its efforts to combat disinformation on social media amounted to surveillance and censorship.

The full extent and impact of this secret operation are yet to be fully understood, but it raises serious questions about the ethics and tactics employed by the Trump-era U.S. military. The global fight against COVID-19 requires unity, transparency, and the promotion of accurate information, making such covert campaigns all the more concerning.