From China to Italy, from France to South Africa, and from Burkina Faso to Iraq, military forces are being called upon by their governments to support them in the domestic ‘fight’ against COVID-19, e.g., by helping to provide medical support as well as enforcing prevention and mitigation measures. The presence of soldiers, deployed to back up overwhelmed national governments and health systems amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, reminds us that beyond defending the nation’s strategic interests, the raison d’être of the military is to protect civilian populations against threats to their security, whether pandemics or wars. Populations living in conflict-affected areas, who are already suffering from years of war, will become even more vulnerable due to the consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak.