Army fires six active-duty commanders, including two battalion commanders, for refusing COVID vax
Army fires six active-duty commanders, including two battalion commanders, for refusing COVID vaccine: Nearly 3,000 reprimands issued to soldiers for refusing the shot
- There are about 57,000 people serving at the level of captain or above in the US Army, meaning around 0.01 percent of commanding officers were dismissed
- There are about 481,000 active duty officers in the Armed Forces, making those fired 0.001 percent of all currently on active duty
- The Army did not specify the rank of each of the dismissed officers, though they said the dismissals included two battalion commanders
- In addition, the Armed Forces has issued 2,994 written reprimands to soldiers for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine out of the 3,611 troops who have refused
The United States Army reprimanded six active-duty commanders for refusing to comply with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all military ranks.
The Army did not specify the rank of the punished officers, though it included two battalion commanders who were relieved of their duties.
In addition, 2,994 soldiers received written reprimands for refusing the vaccine out of the 3,611 troops who have yet to get the jab.
The Army has yet to initiate separations for soldiers refusing the vaccine. but expects further guidance this month.
Over 96 percent of of the roughly 481,000 active-duty soldiers in the largest military branch have been fully vaccinated and more than 97 percent are partially vaccinated. The Army Reserves remain at about 73 percent fully vaccinated.
There are about 57,000 officers serving at the level of captain or above in the US Army, meaning around 0.01 percent of commanding officers were punished for not getting the jab.
Over 96 percent of active-duty soldiers in the US Armed Forces have been fully vaccinated against the virus and over 97 percent partially vaccinated
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has mandated the vaccinations but left it up to each military branch to set a deadline
The military remains well ahead of the general population in terms of vaccinations.
As of January, boosters are not required to be considered ‘fully vaccinated’ inorder to comply with the COVID-19 rule, though the Pentagon is said to be considering a booster mandate.
Austin’s mandate left the deadline for full vaccination up to each branch of the military. The Army chose December 15.
The Army has yet to grant any of the 2,128 religious exemption it received. The other main branches – the Navy, Air Force and Marines – have also not granted any requests for religious exemptions.
Only 162 of those requests have been fully disapproved by the Army, so that number is subject to change.
The Armed Forces has granted five permanent medical exemptions for vaccination out of 653 requests to date.
The Navy currently has 5,209 active-duty soldiers unvaccinated, as they have begun separation of soldiers for refusals.
The Army National Guard remains the only branch of the Army that still has time to take the shot, with a June 30 deadline.
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