WASHINGTON (AP) – Military troops must begin obtaining the COVID-19 vaccine immediately, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday in a note, ordering service leaders to “impose ambitious deadlines for its implementation. “.
According to Pentagon data, more than 800,000 members of the service have not yet been shot. And now that the Pfizer vaccine has received full approval from the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Defense is adding it to the list of mandatory shots that troops must receive as part of their military service.
The note, obtained by The Associated Press, does not dictate a specific timetable for completing vaccines. But he says military services will need to report regularly on their progress. A senior defense official said Austin has made it clear to services that he expects them to move quickly and that it will be completed in weeks, not months.
“To defend this nation, we need a healthy, prepared force,” Austin said in the note. “After careful consultation with medical experts and military leaders, and with the support of the president, I have determined that mandatory vaccination against coronavirus disease … is necessary to protect the Force and defend the American people.”
Troops will be able to get their Pfizer shots at their bases and commands around the world. The Pentagon has said it has enough vaccine supply to meet demand. Individual service members can also go out to get any of the other vaccines against COVID.
Fulfilling the vaccination mandate, however, can be a challenge for National Guard forces dispersed across the country and meet only once a month to do the necessary exercises.
According to the Pentagon, there are more than 1.3 million troops in active service and about 800,000 in the Guard and Reserve. And, as of Aug. 18, more than a million people on active duty, members of the guard and reserve service were completely vaccinated and about 245,000 more had received at least one shot.
Senior military leaders have constantly pressured their forces to get vaccines through a wide range of public motives, and through social media and other campaigns. But, as is true among the American population, many members of the service have been reluctant.
Defense officials have said it is critical that troops get the vaccine because they live and work together, and outbreaks can hamper the U.S. military’s ability to defend America.
Military officials have said they do not have specific figures on how many Guard troops are not yet vaccinated, and the Pentagon only provides a total of troops grouping active service, the Guard and the Reserve into one statistic.
Guard officials have said all along that it is very difficult to assess how many of their fellow soldiers have received a vaccine. And only now will they be able to start tracking the actual number more accurately as members of the Guard show up for drill weekends this fall.
Austin’s decision to order the vaccine is in line with the oath he took earlier this month to require it no later than mid-September or immediately after the FDA license, whatever the first. Its move reflects similar actions by governments and businesses around the world, as nations struggle with the highly contagious delta variant that has caused U.S. cases to rise to peaks not seen since last fall.
Hospitalizations and deaths are on the rise among the military. Over the past month, the death toll from service members has risen from 25 to 34, by more than a third.
“Our force vaccination will save lives,” Austin’s note said. “Thank you for your focus on this critical mission.”
Members of the U.S. military are already required to take up to 17 different vaccines, depending on where they are deployed. The requirements, which include vaccines against smallpox, hepatitis, polio, and influenza, also provide for a number of temporary and permanent exemptions for medical or administrative reasons.
Austin noted in the note that the new requirement will allow exemptions consistent with current policies for other vaccines. Permanent exemptions include serious medical reactions to the vaccine, immune deficiencies such as HIV infection, and “evidence of existing immunity” through a serological antibody test or “documentation of previous infection or suspected natural infection.”
There are also administrative exemptions, including one for religious reasons. Military services grant religious exemption based on their policies and appear to be relatively rare. The decision is made by the commanders based on the consultation with medical staff and chaplains.
The Navy and Marine Corps said they had no requests for religious exemption for other vaccines in recent years and the Air Force said there were few. The army could not provide any data.
Just over half of the American population is completely vaccinated with one of the country’s three options, such as Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson.
The Pentagon’s decision only applies to the Pfizer vaccine. Modern has also asked the FDA for full approval of its vaccine. J&J said it expects to do so later this year.