WASHINGTON — About 12,000 active-duty members of the Air Force and the Space Force had not received a first dose of Covid vaccine as of Tuesday, the first deadline for serving members of the U.S. military to comply with an order by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to get vaccinated, defense officials say.
The vaccine holdouts represent about three percent of the 326,000 active-duty members of the two branches, and the combined compliance rate of 97 percent far exceeds the general public’s vaccination rate. However, it means thousands of service members have failed to comply with an order, risking as yet undetermined consequences.
The officials say that very few of those 12,000 unvaccinated service members have requested medical or religious exemptions, and that most have simply not reported their status. Very few exemptions have been granted so far, and all were for medical reasons, according to the officials. No branch of the military has yet approved any religious exemptions.
In a statement, a defense official told NBC News, “Any refusal to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, absent an approved medical or administrative exemption or accommodation, may be punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Military commanders retain the full range of disciplinary options available to them under Article 92 of the UCMJ and must consult with their servicing Staff Judge Advocate for additional guidance on vaccination non-compliance.”
“Our goal is to ensure as many Airmen and Guardians as possible receive the vaccine. Military commanders have a range of options available to encourage their service members to receive the vaccine. This is about force health protection — not punishment.”
The next Covid vaccine deadline for service members is Nov. 28, by which time all active-duty sailors and Marines must have been vaccinated or received an exemption. Active-duty members of the Army must be vaccinated by Dec. 15. Together, the Navy, Marine Corps and Army have more than 1 million active-duty members.
Oct. 29, 202102:05
Austin issued a memo in August ordered the heads of all military branches to make sure their service members got vaccinated and to impose “ambitious timelines.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
