Fires Soldier Who Refuses COVID-19 Vaccine, US Army: Unvaccinated Soldiers Are A Risk

Illustration of US military vaccinations in Guam. (Wikimedia Commons/Travis Simmons)

JAKARTA - The United States Army immediately fired its soldiers who refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, as an important step to maintain military combat readiness.

Army orders apply to Army regulars, active Army reservists, and cadets, except those whose exemption applications have been approved, or are in the process of applying for exemptions.

Most of all active-duty troops had received at least one dose. However, around 79 uniformed military personnel in various services have died from the new coronavirus.

"Army readiness depends on soldiers being ready to train, deploy, fight and win our nation's wars. Unvaccinated soldiers pose a risk to troops and jeopardize readiness", said Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth, citing Reuters on February 3.

The Army's firm stance on the dismissal of soldiers who refused the COVID-19 vaccine in the midst of a pandemic by the Army, is in line with the Pentagon's policy of making all soldiers and personnel mandatory in August 2021.

After establishing COVID-19 rules for federal workers, President Joe Biden directed the Pentagon to look at the 'how and when' to require members of the military to take the vaccine.

"I strongly support the Department of Defense's plan to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of required vaccinations for our service members by mid-September", President Biden said in a statement last year.

Prior to the Army, the United States Air Force had started firing its members who refused the COVID-19 vaccination in December 2021. At least 27 active soldiers were fired at that time.

Ann Stefanek, a spokeswoman for the Air Force, said troops were given the opportunity to explain why they refused to be vaccinated, but none of them were granted an exception. To note, the United States Air and Space Force has approximately 326,000 active duty personnel.