Over the last 48 hours, the Army, Marine Corps and Navy have said they began separations for personnel who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine.
In an emailed statement on Thursday, the Marines said they separated more than 103 with a “vaccine refusal” discharge code.
Earlier in the day, the Army revealed that it has relieved six active-duty leaders, including two battalion commanders for not getting vaccinated. Meanwhile, 2,767 soldiers have received general officer written reprimands for refusing the vaccine mandate
On Wednesday, the Navy said that it has given guidance to commanders to begin issuing administrative separations for service members who won’t get vaccinated.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin mandated vaccinations for the military in late August, but each military service is in charge of enforcing its mandate.
The Army’s deadline for active duty soldiers was Wednesday, the last of the deadlines for active-duty personnel for each branch. However, Army National Guard and Reservists still have until June 30, 2022 to come into compliance.
Meanwhile, reservists in the Marine Corps and Navy both have until Dec. 28 to come into compliance. Active-duty components of both branches had until Nov. 28 to be vaccinated.
In related news, the Army said that 98 percent of its active-duty personnel have received one dose of a coronavirus vaccine as the deadline for those soldiers to be inoculated passes.
More than 468,000 active-component soldiers have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Meanwhile, 96 percent of active-duty soldiers — more than 461,000 — are fully vaccinated.
Over 3,800 active-duty soldiers have refused to get vaccinated without a pending or approved exemption, representing less than 1 percent of active-duty soldiers. Starting in January, commanders will initiate involuntary separation for these soldiers.
