US military requiring mandatory vaccinations for all service members

CHICAGO, United States

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday that he is directing vaccinations for all American service members.

Austin did not mention a deadline for forces to be vaccinated, but in a memo to US forces, he said: "I have determined that mandatory vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is necessary to protect the Force and defend the American people."

"I therefore direct the Secretaries of the Military Departments to immediately begin full vaccination of all members of the Armed Forces under DoD authority on active duty or in the Ready Reserve, including the National Guard who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19," he wrote.

The US Food and Drug Administration gave full approval on Monday to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine that had been previously used under an emergency use authorization. Full approval of the Moderna and Johnson&Johnson vaccines is expected in the coming days.

Austin pointed out that "mandatory vaccines are familiar to all of our Service members and mission-critical inoculation is almost as old as the US military itself."

He added that service members who have already gotten sick from the virus and recovered must still get fully vaccinated.

Full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is triggering a wave of vaccine mandates in the US private and public sectors, and the military previously announced it would be implementing a mandate following full approval from health authorities.

Austin said earlier this month that the goal was to see a vaccine mandate in place by mid-September, pending full FDA approval, but that there would be religious exemptions that would be considered.

Austin called the vaccination of service members a "critical mission" and added, "our vaccination of the Force will save lives."