WASHINGTON — A U.S. soldier returning from an Ebola response mission in West Africa would have to spend 21 days being monitored, isolated in a military facility away from family and the broader population. A returning civilian doctor or nurse who directly treated Ebola patients? Depends.

The Pentagon has put in place the most stringent Ebola security measures yet, going beyond even the toughest measures adopted by states such as New York, New Jersey and Maine and much further than the guidance set by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for travelers returning from the afflicted region.

“I have one responsibility and that is the security of this country,” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday. “And that means the security of our men and women and their families.”

He called the Pentagon’s step a “smart, wise, prudent, disciplined, science-oriented decision.”

Yet, the policy far surpasses federal government standards. The CDC recommends that only people at the highest risk — those who’ve had direct contact with an Ebola patient’s body fluids, for example — avoid commercial travel or large public gatherings for 21 days. Anyone who develops symptoms would be hospitalized immediately.