According to the officials, the US air force has fired 27 personnel for refusing to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, making them the first service members to be discharged for defying the mandate.
The air force gave its personnel till November 2 to obtain the vaccine, but hundreds have refused or requested an exemption. According to air force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek, these are the first cases of airmen being administratively terminated for vaccine-related reasons.
She stated that they were all in their first term of enlistment, making them lower-ranking personnel. And, while the air force does not publish the type of discharge a service member receives, proposed legislation in Congress limits the military to issuing honorable discharge or general discharges under decent conditions to personnel who refuse vaccines.
The Pentagon mandated the vaccine earlier this year for all military personnel, including active duty, national guard, and reserves. Each service established its timelines and processes for completing the task, and the air force set the most aggressive deadline. According to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the vaccine is essential to the force's health and readiness to respond to a national security crisis.
According to the most recent air force statistics, over 1,000 airmen have refused the shot, and over 4,700 have requested a religious exemption. Last week, slightly more than 97 percent of active-duty airmen had been shot at least once.
Stefanek stated that none of the 27 airmen requested any form of exception - medical, administrative, or religious. Several other military officials said that they believe that only the air force has progressed this far in the process and fired individuals for vaccine refusal.
As a result of their failure to heed an order, they were formally discharged from service. Stefanek added that while some may have had further offenses on their records, all had vaccine refusal as a factor in their dismissal.
It is not uncommon for military personnel to be discharged for defying an order. By comparison, Stefanek stated that approximately 1,800 airmen were fired for failing to follow orders during the first three quarters of 2021.
Navy and Marine Corps members had until November 28 to obtain their immunizations, while reserve members had until December 28. Army active-duty soldiers have until Wednesday to be vaccinated, while members of the Army national guard and reserves have until June 30, 2022.
Throughout the military, the vaccine reaction has been consistent with the general public, with thousands seeking exemptions or refusing the doses. However, the aggregate percentage of personnel – particularly active duty members – who received shots quickly exceeds the national average.
According to the Pentagon, 96.4 percent of active-duty soldiers had received at least one shot as December 10. When the guard and reserve are added, the percentage drops to roughly 74%. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 72% of the US population aged 18 and older have received one vaccination.
