US Military Prepares Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccinations

By mid-September, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will request a waiver from President Joe Biden to make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for service members, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said today.

Austin released a message to the troops saying that after consultations with senior civilian and military officials, making vaccinations mandatory is the best way forward, said Kirby.

More than 73% of active-duty personnel have received at least one shot of the vaccines to date.

The services have time to plan how they will implement the vaccination program, and they have been working on how they will vaccinate the rest of the active and reserve components, stated Kirby.

As of August 4, 2021, there have been (28) active-duty personnel fatalities related to COVID-19 since the pandemic began in early 2020.