Pentagon officially DROPS Biden’s COVID vaccine mandate for the U.S. military

The Pentagon has officially dropped the U.S. military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate nearly 17 months after it was first imposed by the Biden administration under Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

The controversial policy has been under fire from Republicans since its inception, amid an increasingly dire recruiting crisis for new troops.

Defense officials’ latest order follows through on language in the 2023 defense budget bill, which President Joe Biden signed into law in late December.

According to Defense Department data cited by Reuters, 3,717 Marines, 1,816 soldiers and 2,064 sailors have since been discharged for refusing to get vaccinated. 

Austin encouraged all service members to still get vaccinated and boosted but announced the military would no longer discharge troops who refuse the shot.

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the formal repeal of the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate in a Tuesday evening memo

Biden ordered all military members to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in August 2021

‘No individuals currently serving in the Armed Forces shall be separated solely on the basis of their refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccination if they sought an exemption on religious, administrative, or medical rounds,’ the Pentagon chief said.

‘The military departments will update the records of such individuals to remove any adverse actions solely associated with denials of such requests, including letters of reprimand.’

In August 2021, Biden ordered all 1.3 million active members of the U.S. armed forces to get fully vaccinated.

Service members who refused to get the shot were threatened with loss of pay, among other disciplinary measures.

Defense officials blamed such resistance on vaccine misinformation. But nevertheless Austin pointed in his memo to the high rate of vaccinations among troops across all branches. 

‘The Department has made COVID-19 vaccination as easy and as convenient as possible, resulting in vaccines administered to over two million Service members and 96 percent of the force – Active and Reserve – being fully vaccinated,’ Austin wrote. 

Preventative Medicine Services NCOIC Sergeant First Class Demetrius Roberson administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a soldier on September 9, 2021 in Fort Knox, Kentucky

The mandate has survived lawsuits and much GOP criticism, but Democrats agreed to include language in the annual National Defense Authorization Act to end it in order to get enough Republicans on board with the must-pass legislation. 

‘I am thrilled to report that the military COVID vaccine mandate is finally OVER thanks to the hard work of conservatives in Congress,’ GOP Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois said on Tuesday night.

‘Some said an NDAA rescinding the [vaccine] mandate would never pass. I am so happy we fought and won this victory for our TROOPS!’

Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky cheered, ‘One of the worst policy decisions affecting military readiness is finally over.’

In his Tuesday evening memo, Austin pointed out that it’s still up to military commanders whether they deploy unvaccinated troops.

‘Other standing Departmental policies, procedures and processes regarding immunizations remain in effect,’ Austin wrote. 

‘These include the ability of commanders to consider, as appropriate, the individual immunization status of personnel in making deployment, assignment, and other operational decisions.’