Pentagon to force COVID-19 vaccine on US troops

The Defense Ministry announced on Monday that it would take steps to Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for all U.S. servicemen now that the vaccine has received full approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a note to the force this month that he would mandate the vaccine for the 1.3 million military personnel, either with FDA approval or by mid-September with a waiver from President Biden. The vaccines were voluntary for the troops while they are under emergency use authorization.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday that updated guidelines and a schedule for troop vaccination will be provided in the coming days.

According to Pentagon data, about 68% of the active duty force is fully vaccinated and 76% have at least one dose. The figures vary from service to service. As of August 18, 57% of active-duty Marines had been fully immunized, 65% of active-duty soldiers in the military, 62% of active-duty airmen in the Air Force, and 76% of active-duty sailors in the Marine.

“We will also be closely monitoring infection rates – which are currently on the rise due to the Delta variant – and the impact those rates may have on our readiness,” Austin said in his memo this month. He also urged troops to get vaccinated before a warrant Take effect.

With the development of emergency cleared vaccines earlier this year, the Pentagon has consistently encouraged hesitant troops to get vaccinated. Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley both attended virtual roundtables this year to encourage troops and their families to get vaccinated.

In July, as the highly contagious Delta variant began to spread across the country, Mr. Biden tasked Austin with exploring how and when to make the vaccine mandatory for the U.S. military. Austin consulted with medical professionals and announced in an Aug. 9 memo that he would release the vaccine immediately after FDA approval or by presidential waiver in September.

In recent weeks, six soldiers have died of COVID-19[female[feminine, which represents about 17% of the total of 35 military deaths at the Defense Ministry since the start of the pandemic.

After months of allowing the vaccination to be voluntary, the Pentagon has worked out more options due to growing concern about the Delta variant.