Pentagon Rescinds Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate for Troops

On Tuesday, the Pentagon dropped its COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin put out a memo that gave commanders discretion on whether or not to deploy troops who are not vaccinated.

The Department of Defense has stopped discharging troops who refused the shot. After the legislation was signed into law on December 23rd, it was anticipated that Austin would release a memo as he was given 30 days to rescind the mandate.

White House Press Secretary called the removal of the mandate a “mistake” even though Biden did sign the bill.

In his memo, Austin made it clear that the other Department of Defence standings on “policies, procedures, and processes regarding immunizations remain in effect.”

He went on, “These include the ability of commanders to consider, as appropriate, the individual immunization status of personnel in making deployment, assignment, and other operational decisions, including when vaccination is required for travel to, or entry into, a foreign nation.”

According to Austin’s memo, any service member currently in uniform who had pending approval for a religious or medical exemption to getting the mandate will be safe from being separated from the military because of refusal of the vaccine.

Austin also instructed services to update military records and remove “any adverse actions solely associated with denials of requests” from their files. Those who have already been removed for failing to comply with the order and had a General discharge may petition to have their records corrected to an honorable discharge.

Austin concluded the memo with, “The Department’s Covid-19 vaccination efforts will leave a lasting legacy in the many lives we saved, the world-class force we have been able to field, and the high level of readiness we have maintained, amidst difficult public health conditions. Our efforts were possible due, first and foremost, to the strength and dedication of our people.”