There have been more than 500 U.S. active-duty service members who have been discharged for refusing to comply with the coronavirus vaccine mandate.
The Navy, the Marines, and the Air Force have discharged 45, 399, and 111 service members, respectively, according to the most recent data from each of the service branches. The Army has said it has not “involuntarily separated any soldiers solely for refusing” the vaccine, though it has relieved six leaders and has issued more than 3,000 general officer reprimands.
The discharged personnel represent a small percentage within the service branches, all of which have reported that at least 95% of their active-duty forces have been vaccinated. Active-duty Army soldiers are 96% fully vaccinated, the Navy is at 98% (the same as the Air Force), and the Marines are at 95% for active-duty troops.
NAVY DISCHARGES OVER CORONAVIRUS VACCINE REFUSALS UP TO 45
Each of the service members is eligible to apply for a vaccination exemption. Thousands of administrative and medical exemptions have been granted, but to date, only three religious ones have been approved. The Marines have given out all three of the religious exemptions, even though more than 14,800 service members across the military have applied.
Specifically, 2,910 soldiers, 5,230 airmen, 3,258 sailors, and 3,428 Marines have requested a religious exemption.
Those who don’t want to get the vaccine have gained conservative allies who argue that such a mandate is a violation of a person’s First Amendment rights.
GOP Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas and Mike Dunleavy of Alaska have filed a lawsuit against the Department of Defense and President Joe Biden, alleging that the mandate’s application to National Guard troops is unconstitutional.
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The main legal question in the case is whether the secretary of defense has the legal authority to require something of National Guard members while they are under Title 32 of the U.S. Code, which details that the governor is the commander.
A judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma ruled against Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s lawsuit, which made the same argument. Other governors, such as Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, and Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, have spoken out against the mandate.
