WASHINGTON — The Army outlined its plan today to fully comply with
the Secretary of Defense’s order requiring all Service members to be
fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Army began implementing the Secretary of Defense’s
order on August 24, following DoD and White House guidance. Before then,
vaccines had been optional.
“This is quite literally a matter of life and death for our
Soldiers, their families and the communities in which we live,” said
Lt. Gen. R. Scott Dingle, the U.S. Army Surgeon General. “Case counts
and deaths continue to be concerning as the Delta variant spreads, which
makes protecting the force through mandatory vaccination a health and
readiness priority for the total Army.”
While Soldiers who refuse the vaccine will first be
counseled by their chain of command and medical providers, continued
failure to comply could result in administrative or non-judicial
punishment – to include relief of duties or discharge. Soldiers have the
ability to request an exemption from receiving the vaccine, if they
have a legitimate medical, religious or administrative reason. Soldiers
who are pending exemption requests will not be subject to adverse
actions until the exemption is fully processed.
Commanders, command sergeants major, first sergeants and
officers in Command Select List (CSL) positions who refuse to be
vaccinated – and are not pending an exemption request – face suspension
and relief if they refuse to comply. Prior to any adverse action, each
would be notified of the suspension and potential relief from their
duties. They would then be counseled and provided the opportunity to be
vaccinated before they would become subject to removal from their
positions by a general officer.
Officers and noncommissioned officers who have been
selected and are waiting to assume CSL command, key billet or nominative
sergeant major positions – some of the most coveted assignments in the
Army – will likewise be subject to removal from the list for those
assignments should they refuse to be vaccinated without a pending or
approved exemption.
Commanders will request a General Officer Memorandum of
Reprimand be initiated for any Soldier who refuses to be vaccinated and
does not have a pending or approved exemption request. Such reprimands
can be career ending.
Active duty units are expected to be fully vaccinated by
Dec. 15, 2021 and Reserve and National Guard units are expected to be
fully vaccinated by June 30, 2022.
Soldiers may request administrative or medical exemptions
as outlined in Army Regulation 600-20 and AR 40-562, as well as the new
Army Directive 2021-33 that provides supplementary guidance on exemption
requests.
Soldiers with previous COVID-19 infections are not
automatically exempt from full vaccination and should consult their
primary care managers. Soldiers pending exemption requests must continue
to comply with all other applicable force health protection measures
applicable to unvaccinated people.
Soldiers who have completed an FDA Emergency Use
Authorization or World Health Organization-authorized series of
vaccinations are fully vaccinated. Soldiers are only considered fully
vaccinated two weeks post completion of a two-dose series vaccine or
two weeks post completion of a single dose vaccine.
In addition to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate and following
CDC and DoD guidance, Army commanders will continue to update health
protection protocols consistent with the local conditions of the
communities in which they serve. The health protection of our force is a
top priority, and we will continue to ensure that our personnel have
the most up-to-date information on appropriate safety measures to
prevent potential spread of the virus.
Soldiers with questions about the safety, effectiveness and
possible side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine should discuss them with
their health care provider.
For additional information, contact usarmy.pentagon.hqda-ocpa.mbx.mrd-press-desk@mail.mil.
