The Pentagon will seek approval from the Biden administration by the middle of September to mandate that members of the military be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The date could be moved up if one of the COVID-19 vaccines receives full approval from Food and Drug Administration, according to a memo obtained by the Washington Examiner.
“I will seek the president’s approval to make the vaccines mandatory no later than mid-September, or immediately upon” licensure by the FDA, “whichever comes first,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a memo to military personnel. “I will not hesitate to act sooner or recommend a different course to the president if l feel the need to do so,” he added.
BIDEN DIRECTS PENTAGON TO FIGURE OUT ‘HOW AND WHEN’ TO REQUIRE COVID VACCINE FOR THE MILITARY
There was some initial confusion as the Associated Press reported the Sept. 15 date was when the order would go into effect, but Pentagon press secretary John Kirby issued a clarification. “[Austin] intends to ask for a waiver by mid-September,” he said.
President Joe Biden released a statement shortly after the memo came out signaling his strong support for the move.
“I strongly support Secretary Austin’s message to the Force today on the Department of Defense’s plan to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of required vaccinations for our service members not later than mid-September. Secretary Austin and I share an unshakable commitment to making sure our troops have every tool they need to do their jobs as safely as possible,” the president said.
Austin’s decision follows Biden’s request last month to Defense officials to coordinate a plan in requiring mandatory shots for troops as part of an effort to increase vaccinations in the federal workforce.
“Since many vaccinations are required for active-duty military today, I’m asking the Defense Department to look into how and when they will add COVID-19 to the list of vaccinations our armed forces must get,” Biden said on July 30.
The defense secretary added in his memo that military services will have the next few weeks to get ready for the new guidance of mandatory coronavirus shots, such as figuring out how many vaccines will be needed for personnel.
The time frame provides the FDA with more days to be granted full approval from the agency, as the president’s chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has signaled approval for Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine could be attainable in the coming weeks.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
More than 1 million active military personnel are fully vaccinated, and an additional 237,000 have received at least one shot. The Navy has vaccinated 74% of all active-duty members while the Army, which is the largest of the branches, has vaccinated close to 50% of its active-duty members, according to data from the Defense Department.
