WASHINGTON , — Military and civilians face deadlines for COVID-19 vaccines. Senior leaders need to consider the fate of people who refuse to take the shots, or seek exemptions. They also need to think about how to treat them fairly.
While the vast majority of active duty personnel have received at least one shot, a large number of them have not. It could be a career-ending decision for some. Others may face travel restrictions, deployment limits, and the need to repay bonus bonuses.
Unit commanders from around the globe will make exemption decisions for administrative, religious, and medical reasons. The Pentagon states that this will be done on a case-by-case basis. This presents a problem for military leaders, who want to push a vaccine mandate to maintain a healthy force but also want to avoid inconsistent, haphazard approaches with those who refuse.
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“Because some of the sensitivities associated with this particular vaccine, we just wanted to make sure that we were consistent & equitable” in imposing a punishment that would “repercussions of continuing to refuse to accept a valid order.”
The military vaccination rates are higher that those for the general population. In addition, the grounds for objections – which are often misinformation-based – are the same as those heard across the country. Contrary to civilians, military personnel must routinely get 17 vaccines and can be punished for refusing.
According to military services, 1%-7% of the population is still unvaccinated. According to data last week, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called for compassion when dealing with these troops. They make up nearly 60,000 active-duty service members. Officials claim that the numbers are subject to change and may include people who have requested or received an exemption. They declined to disclose how many troops were denied the vaccine or are still seeking exemptions.
John Kirby, Pentagon press secretary, said that there are no restrictions on how people who refuse to get the vaccine or seek exemptions from it. He said that each case would be treated as individual and specific as it should be.
It is not clear how many religious exemptions will be granted. Military rules allow commanders to consider the impact of religious exemptions on a unit’s mission and refuse to grant them if they pose a risk to their performance.
Commandants can also allow service members to be moved into another job, deny them overseas assignment or limit their access to units while they are being reviewed or granted an exemption. These steps are more common for smaller units, such as special operations forces that deploy in small numbers.
The Navy warned sailors that if they refuse to take the shot or don’t receive an exemption, they may be subject to financial penalties and bonuses. This is based on military justice procedures for disobeying lawful orders. Other services will follow the same procedures.
Routine testing and distancing guidelines will be applied to unvaccinated personnel.
In some cases, the Air Force could be the test case because they are often the first to meet a deadline. By Tuesday, the more than 335,000 Air Force and Space Force guardians and the Air Guard and Reserve must have been fully vaccinated. Air Force data shows that as many as 12,000 guardians and active duty airmen were still not vaccinated as late last week. Some have received exemptions or requested them, while others refused. They have until Monday to apply for exemptions.
Air Force Colonel Robert Corby, commander at Ellsworth Air Force Base’s 28th Medical Group, stated that the number of appointments at the base clinic has doubled since the mandatory vaccination became mandatory in August. He stated that troops have many questions and concerns and that commanders, chaplains, and medical personnel are able to provide information.
He said, “I believe you also have an area of the population who probably doesn’t feel that they are at risk for COVID-19.”
Air Force Capt. Molly Lawlor (28th Bomb Wing Chaplain) said that only a small number of people are asking for a religious exemption at the base. She said that people are trying to understand how the new requirement fits in with their beliefs and make the right decisions.
With a Nov. 22 mandated vaccination date, the more than 760,000 civilians in Defense Department will follow closely behind the Air Force. Supervisors face the difficult task of recording and checking the vaccination status of their employees and determining who will be the final exemption arbitrator.
Civilians can apply for an exemption up to Nov. 8, and less than half of them have provided proof of vaccination as of last week. If they refuse to get the vaccine, and do not get an exemption, they will be given counseling for five days. They can be fired if they refuse to take the vaccine.
The numbers of vaccines for military services fluctuate, but they drop significantly for the National Guard and Reserve.
The Air Guard is at 87%, with slightly more than half the Army National Guard having received at least one shot. The Air Guard must be fully vaccinated by December 1, while the Army Guard (larger and more dispersed around the country) has until June.
The Navy is the most successful service, with only 1% unvaccinated at the end of last week. That’s roughly 3,500 sailors. With 3.6% of the population unvaccinated, Space Force and Air Force were second and third, respectively, followed by the Army and Marine Corps with about 7%.
According to Adm. Michael Gilday of Naval Operations, certain warships had vaccination rates between 98% and 99 percent even before shots were required.
He said, “We feel like our services have been leading the charge.” “We have been promoting vaccines since December last year, January timeframe.” He said that those who do not want the vaccine will be dealt with individually as they face challenges.
Marine Col. Speros Kuparakis, Commander of Marine Corps Base Hawaii said that there are fewer than two dozen Marines who have asked for exemptions at the base, and most of them are religious.
He stated that chaplains, pastors, and other religious leaders have been made available for discussion and that he reviews all requests. However, Marine Corps Base Quantico personnel leaders in Virginia may make the final decision.
Nearly 350,000 Navy sailors, and more than 179,000 Marines, must all be fully vaccinated before Nov. 28 and the reserves by Dec. 28. Active duty soldiers can be fully vaccinated by the Army, which is the largest military service, with nearly 490,000. The Army National Guard and Reserve can get vaccinated until June 30, 2022. There are nearly 800,000 Guard and Reserve troops. The Army accounts for over 520,000.
