Washington: The US Army said on Thursday that it will immediately begin discharging soldiers who have refused to take the Covid-19 vaccine. With this move, more than 3,300 personnel are expected to be pulled out of the army soon. The Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy have already taken off duty for soldiers or entry-level personnel who refuse to receive the vaccine. Till now the Army has not removed anyone from service.
According to the data released by the Army last week, more than 3,300 soldiers have refused to take the vaccine. The army has said that official letters with strong comments have been sent to more than 3,000 soldiers. This shows that such a person has been identified in the disciplinary process and some of them may be the first to be removed from service.
The Pentagon, the headquarters of the US Department of Defense, has ordered all soldiers, including soldiers on duty, the National Guard, and those kept in reserve, to get the vaccine. The cases of Covid-19 continue to increase across the country. According to estimates, 97 percent of the army’s soldiers have received at least one dose of the vaccine. At the same time, more than 3,000 personnel have requested an exemption on medical or religious grounds.
Military Secretary Christine Wermuth issued instructions on Wednesday, ordering commanders to initiate action against personnel who have refused to take supplements.
He said, ‘The preparedness of the army depends on the soldiers who are prepared to train, deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars.’ put at risk. We will initiate the process of voluntary isolation of soldiers who refuse the vaccine order.
