Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke to the media at the Pentagon. People who refuse to get vaccine are being discharged from the military.
Alex Brandon.
The consequences are starting to be faced by members of the U.S. military who haven't been vaccined. After months of warnings, military officials have begunDisciplinary actions, including discharge.
The Air Force discharged 27 people who refused to get the vaccine, the first branch to announce dismissals. The Marines said they had discharged 103 troops. The Army said it will begin discharge proceedings in the new year. The Navy told commanders to start separations for "vaccine refusers".
Most of the armed services have followed orders. 98.4% of the Navy's force is fully vaccineed, according to the Associated Press. The Air Force says 97.5% of them have received a shot. 98% of active-duty forces have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while nearly half a million people are fully vaccine-vaccinated, according to Army officials. The majority of Marine Corps forces have gotten a shot.
Thousands of active-duty soldiers could be forced out in the coming weeks or months. The Pentagon says it's important to keep that in perspective, even though it would slightly reduce the size of the military.
In the Army's case, less than 1% of the force has refused the vaccine. The importance of the vaccine and the readiness of the force are the main concerns of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, according to Pentagon press secretary John Kirby. He said that getting the vaccine is the best way to protect themselves and their units.
The military had to get vaccinations in late summer. Kirby said there were discussions about requiring booster shots in the Pentagon. Medical officials said that the booster shot provides strong protection against the coronaviruses.
Thousands of troops across the services have asked for exemptions from the vaccine requirement. Medical exemptions are available for people who have an underlying health condition that could cause adverse reactions to a vaccine.
None of the 12,000 service members who have asked for religious exemptions have been granted. Kirby told reporters earlier this month that religious exemptions are rare.
"This has nothing to do with trampling on the religious liberties of our men and women in uniform," he said. To keep their units safe, it's about a military medical requirement.
Some states have objected to the Pentagon requiring National Guard members to bevaccinated against the coronaviruses. Republican governors from five states wrote to the defense secretary, arguing that the Pentagon didn't have the authority to discharge Guard members for refusing the vaccine.
