President Joe Biden’
s
Department of Defense
did the bare minimum under federal law this week to undo the damage caused by the military’s COVID vaccine mandate. But the memo issued by
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
repealing the mandate did not go far enough to compensate military personnel who were discharged because of it or in doing what is needed to bring back force levels to what our military needs.
Opposed by Democrats, the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act contained a provision, insisted on by Republicans, that directed the Pentagon to rescind the
COVID
vaccine mandate issued in August 2021. Austin’s memo this week honored that legal commitment, but it failed to acknowledge the costs suffered by those upon whom the mandate fell.
It applies only to those service members who “sought an accommodation on religious, administrative, or medical grounds.” No protection is offered for those who did not seek an accommodation. This caveat should be dropped. All those now serving who do not want to get the COVID
vaccine
should be covered.
Second, for those already ousted from the military as a result of the mandate, the memo offers no reason to hope they won’t continue to be punished. Those kicked out “may petition” the service to upgrade their discharge to “honorable,” but the request may be denied. This will leave thousands of soldiers who lost their careers over a now-rescinded mandate without the status they need to receive education and health benefits they would otherwise be due from the government.
The military is a distinctive institution, especially in a democracy. While citizens and federal employees should not be forced to do things they do not want to do, soldiers are expected to follow lawful orders handed down by a commanding officer regardless of whether they think the order is sensible or not. But the COVID vaccine was unique. Neither the
military
nor its service members were operating with good information. We still do not know what the long-term effects of the vaccines are.
Those who were discharged for refusing an order have already been punished. They lost pay, and many lost rank and responsibility. They should not be punished further. Congress should protect the 8,000 who were separated from the military solely over the mandate.
Those who want to reenlist should be allowed to do so. Those separated should have their status automatically upgraded to “honorably discharged” so they can receive the benefits they earned.
No one would benefit more from this than the military itself, which is struggling to meet recruitment quotas. The
Army
and the
Navy
both missed recruiting goals last year. The other branches scrape by. Our military needs every able-bodied person willing to serve. Making whole those ousted over the mandate would go a long way toward making the military a place where more men and women want to serve.
