The nation's top military officer has taken to YouTube to soothe troops' concerns about deploying to the region of Africa being ravaged by Ebola.

In a video posted Tuesday, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said the operation in West Africa is a national security priority and the Defense Department will do all it can to protect the health of its personnel before, during and after their deployments.

According to Dempsey, troops who deploy will receive daily temperature and symptom checks, be assessed for symptoms before returning home, and monitored for 21 days after arriving back in the U.S.

"While the mission in West Africa will not include direct care to patients, the safety and health concerns of the men and women of our joint forces and their families remain of greatest importance to me and our Joint Chiefs," Dempsey said.

The message echoes guidance disseminated earlier this month to family members of deploying personnel indicating that troops will be assessed at least twice a day for symptoms while deployed, placed in a controlled environment 10 days before returning home if commanders deem that necessary, and checked prior to departure for clearance to return home.

Once they arrive back at their home duty stations, they will not be allowed to take leave or go on temporary duty for 21 days, according to the guidance.

Emergency leave requests during that time will be handled on a case-by-case basis, the guidance states.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Sunday ordered U.S. Northern Command to establish a 30-person rapid response force of medical personnel to provide health care assistance should more cases of the deadly disease pop up in the U.S.

That force, made up of five infectious disease physicians, 20 nurses and five specialty trainers, is slated to begin week-long training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, on Wednesday.

The group includes 15 Army, nine Air Force and six Navy personnel, according to NORTHCOM spokesman Preston Schlachter.

"These are highly trained personnel who specialize in infectious diseases. This fits right into the NORTHCOM mission, which is to prepare forces in advance of a crisis so we can respond quickly if called on," Schlachter said Tuesday.

The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases will oversee the training. After completing the training, team members will return to their home duty stations but will stay in a "prepare to deploy" status for at least 30 days, ready to respond to any Ebola infections in the U.S., Schlacter said.

In his video message, Dempsey said the national strategy against Ebola is to "keep it an 'away game,'" but added the response team will be available if needed.

"I thank you for what you do every day with great professionalism and courage," Dempsey said.

About Patricia Kime

Patricia Kime is a senior writer covering military and veterans health care, medicine and personnel issues.

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