Headline Roundup • August 25th, 2021
Pentagon Says Troops Must Get Vaccinated 'Immediately'
US Military,Coronavirus,Pentagon,National Defense,Coronavirus Vaccine,Vaccine Mandates,Defense And Security
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The Pentagon is ordering all U.S. military personnel to get vaccinated against COVID-19 immediately. In a memo dated Aug. 24, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin directed military department heads "to immediately begin full vaccination" of any unvaccinated troops. Austin made the call following "careful consultation with medical experts and military leadership, and with the support of the President." The announcement also follows the FDA's full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine; unvaccinated troops will be required to receive Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine, which is the only COVID-19 vaccine with full FDA approval. Austin's memo did not impose a hard deadline or outline specific consequences for those who don't follow the order. A Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday that roughly 68% of all military personnel are fully vaccinated; the numbers vary by department, with 40% of the Army fully vaccinated compared to 73% of the Navy.
The news was covered across the spectrum Wednesday. Some coverage from right-rated sources highlighted a proposal from 31 House Republicans that would have prohibited the military vaccine mandate.
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United States Forces Korea via Getty Images
The Pentagon on Wednesday ordered military troops to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible, according to a memo from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin obtained by AP.
Why it matters: Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said Wednesday that "on the active duty force, 68% is fully vaccinated, and we estimate just over 76% have at least one dose."
Here are figures Kirby provided, by branch:
Army: 40% fully vaccinated with 57% with one dose.
Marine Corps: 53% fully vaccinated, 60% with one dose.
Navy: 73% fully vaccinated, 79% with at least one dose.
Air Force, which includes Space Force: 57% fully vaccinated, 64%...
The Pentagon is mandating that US military service members get fully vaccinated against Covid-19 immediately, after the Food and Drug Administration fully approved the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine this week.
"After careful consultation with medical experts and military leadership, and with the support of the President, I have determined that mandatory vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is necessary to protect the Force and defend the American people," Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin wrote in a memo released Wednesday.
He added, "To defend this Nation, we need a healthy and ready force."
The Pentagon previously said that...
(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
U.S. military department heads were ordered Tuesday to “immediately” start getting their troops vaccinated against the virus that causes COVID-19, two days after the first COVID-19 vaccine received federal approval.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a memorandum made public Aug. 25 that the secretaries of all military departments must “immediately begin full vaccination” of all service members who aren’t already vaccinated.
A timeline was not laid out in the memo, but Austin directed a rapid pace, telling the secretaries to “impose ambitious timelines for implementation.”
Austin announced on Aug. 9 that all active-duty...
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