Pentagon spells out consequences for National Guard members who defy vaccine requirement

Lloyd Austin
(Image credit: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday that National Guard members who don't comply with his August order to get vaccinated against COVID-19 will be barred from federal drills and training they need to maintain their Guard status and will have their federal pay withheld. Austin's memo, The Washington Post reports, is "an apparent warning shot" to Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) and other "Republican governors looking to defy federal mandates."

Stitt told Austin on Nov. 2 that as head of the Oklahoma National Guard, he would countermand the August directive, because requiring troops to get vaccinated "violates the personal freedoms of many Oklahomans." He ordered Brig. Gen. Thomas Mancino to exempt all 8,200 Oklahoma National Guard members under his command. Austin denied Stitt's request for an exemption on Monday, writing that the governor's stated concerns "do not negate the need" for a vaccinated reserve military force.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.