Military weighs penalties for those refusing vaccines
WASHINGTON — As deadlines loom for military and defense civilians to get mandated covid-19 vaccinations, senior leaders must now wrestle with the fate of those who flatly refuse the shots or are seeking exemptions, and how to make sure they are treated fairly and equally.
The vast majority of the active-duty forces have received at least one shot, but tens of thousands have not. For some, it may be a career-ending decision. Others could face transfers, travel restrictions, limits on deployments and requirements to repay bonuses.
Exemption decisions for medical, religious and administrative reasons will be made by unit commanders around the world, on what the Pentagon says will be a case-bycase basis. That raises a vexing issue for military leaders, who are pushing a vaccine mandate seen as critical to maintaining a healthy force but want to avoid a haphazard, inconsistent approach with those who refuse.
Brig. Gen. Darrin Cox, surgeon general at Army Forces Command, said commanders want to ensure they are following the rules.
“Because of some of the sensitivities of this particular vaccine, I think that we just wanted to ensure that we were consistent and equitable” in meting out a punishment that would be “a repercussion of continuing to refuse a valid order.”
Military vaccination rates are higher than those of the general population in the United States, and the reasons for objecting — often based on misinformation — are similar to those heard throughout the country. But unlike most civilians, military personnel are routinely required to get as many as 17 vaccines, and face penalties for refusing.
The military services are reporting that between 1% and 7% remain unvaccinated. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has called for compassion in dealing with those troops, who total nearly 60,000 active-duty service members, according to data released last week. Officials say the numbers change daily, and include those who may have gotten or requested an exemption. They have declined to say how many troops are still seeking an exemption or have refused the vaccine.
Asked about possible variations in the treatment of those seeking exemptions or refusing the vaccine, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said it’s up to the services. “Each case is going to be treated specifically and individually, as it ought to be,” he said.
It is unclear how widely religious exemptions will be granted. Under military rules, commanders can take into account the potential impact on a unit’s mission and reject a religious exemption if it puts performance at risk.
Commanders can also move service members into another job, deny them overseas deployment or limit unit access if they get an exemption or while a request is being reviewed. Those steps may be more common in smaller units such as special operations forces who usually deploy in small numbers.
The Navy has warned that sailors who refuse the shot and don’t get an exemption may have to refund bonuses and other payments based on military justice procedures for disobeying a lawful order. The other services are expected to follow similar procedures.
Unvaccinated troops will also be subject to routine testing, distancing guidelines and possibly travel restrictions.
The Air Force may be the test case in some instances, because they are the first to hit a deadline. The more than 335,000 airmen and Space Force guardians must be fully vaccinated by today, and the Air Guard and Reserve by Dec. 2. According to Air Force data, as many as 12,000 active-duty airmen and guardians were still unvaccinated as of late last week. Some have requested or gotten exemptions, while others have refused outright. They had until Monday to request exemptions.
Air Force Col. Robert Corby, commander of the 28th Medical Group at Ellsworth Air Force Base, said that after the vaccine became mandatory in late August, appointments for shots at the base clinic doubled. He said troops have an array of questions and concerns, and commanders, chaplains and medical personnel are providing information.
“I think you also have a segment of the population that probably does not feel that they are really at risk for covid-19,” he said.