Washington – The US military will begin discharging soldiers who refuse to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, unless they have an approved waiver or pending application.
“Army readiness depends on Soldiers being ready to train, deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said in a statement Wednesday.
“Unvaccinated soldiers pose a risk to the force and jeopardize readiness. We will begin involuntary separation procedures for soldiers who refuse the vaccination order and are not pending a final decision on an exemption.”
The order applies to “Army soldiers, reserve component soldiers serving on active duty under Title 10, and cadets,” according to the Army.
Soldiers discharged for refusing the vaccine “will not be entitled to involuntary separation pay and may be subject to reimbursement of any unearned incentive or special pay,” the Army said.
The Army reported a 96% vaccination rate for active duty soldiers and 79% for reservists as of Jan. 26.
Data released at the time showed that six regular army leaders, including two battalion commanders, were relieved of duty and 3,073 soldiers were given a written reprimand for refusing the vaccination order.
The recent move is the latest in the military’s efforts to bolster its vaccination mandate that was first introduced by the Pentagon in August 2021. GLM Previously reported in December that the US Marine Corps had discharged 103 service members for refusing to be vaccinated against covid-19.