Pentagon To Require All Troops To Get COVID-19 Vaccine

By Bill Galluccio

August 9, 2021

Floridians Get COVID-19 Vaccine At FEMA Vaccination Site In Miami Area
Photo: Getty Images

The Pentagon is preparing to require all troops to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that he will ask President Joe Biden for a waiver to make the vaccine mandatory for all troops by September 15.

Because the three vaccines currently available in the United States were granted an emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration, President Biden must issue a waiver for the Pentagon to make them mandatory. Austin suggested he could require troops to get vaccinated sooner if the vaccines are granted full approval by the FDA before mid-September.

"I have every confidence that Service leadership and your commanders will implement this new vaccination program with professionalism, skill, and compassion. We will have more to say about this as implementation plans are fully developed," Austin wrote in a memo to all troops.

It is possible the FDA could grant full approval to Pfizer's vaccine by the end of August.

As of August 4, over one million service members are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Austin urged all service members of employees who work at the Department of Defense to get vaccinated.

"To defend this Nation, we need a healthy and ready force. I strongly encourage all DoD military and civilian personnel - as well as contractor personnel - to get vaccinated now and for military Service members to not wait for the mandate," Austin said.

President Biden issued a statement saying that he supports requiring troops to get vaccinated.

“Secretary Austin and I share an unshakable commitment to making sure our troops have every tool they need to do their jobs as safely as possible,” Biden said. “Being vaccinated will enable our service members to stay healthy, to better protect their families, and to ensure that our force is ready to operate anywhere in the world.”

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