The military has begun testing troops for COVID-19 antibodies, and might soon ask them to "stick your arm out" to draw blood for possible use as a novel coronavirus therapy, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged caution, warning that current antibody tests can yield false positives.

But the military is “doing some antibody testing right now, and we're expanding that," Milley said.

So the short answer is, yes, for the antibody testing," Milley said at a virtual town hall meeting from the Pentagon.

He added that testing within the military might contribute to the development of what the CDC calls "convalescent plasma," made from blood drawn from people who have been exposed to COVID-19 and have developed antibodies to fight the virus.

Milley was joined at the town hall by Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who said Wednesday he has been tested for COVID-19 antibodies but does not yet have the results, according to The Associated Press.

In an update on antibody, or serological, testing posted Wednesday, the CDC said that the results from current coronavirus tests may still yield false positives and be too inaccurate to be used in making policy decisions on lifting restrictions aimed on preventing the spread of the virus.