Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination for All U.S. Military Personnel Including Those Stationed in South Korea

US Department of Defense to Include All US Military Personnel in Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Starting After Next Month's 15th
Biden "Strongly Supports"
Noncompliance Likely to Be Punished as Disobedience of Orders

Lloyd Austin, U.S. Secretary of Defense
[Photo by AP News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] To prevent the spread of the Delta COVID-19 variant, the U.S. government has decided to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for 1.33 million active-duty military personnel starting from the 15th of next month.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated in a letter to service members on the 9th (local time) that "by mid-September at the latest, or immediately upon full approval of the vaccine by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), he will request the President to authorize vaccinations."

Secretary Austin explained that if the spread of the Delta variant threatens military readiness, he will ask President Biden to act more quickly.

Full FDA approval of the vaccine is essential for mandating vaccinations in the military. The New York Times reported that the Department of Defense waited five weeks for FDA approval and decided to proceed with vaccinations under President Biden’s authorization if approval was not granted by then.

This decision follows President Biden’s directive to the Department of Defense to develop plans to expand vaccinations among military personnel. Currently, the military mandates 17 types of vaccines.

After President Biden ordered federal employees to either get vaccinated or undergo regular testing once or twice a week, he expressed the position that military personnel should also be required to get vaccinated.

In a separate statement that day, President Biden said, "I strongly support Secretary Austin’s position to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for the military by mid-September," adding, "I am proud that our service members serve as a model for Americans fighting the COVID-19 pandemic."

According to the Department of Defense, 64% of the 1.33 million active-duty military personnel have completed COVID-19 vaccination. The NYT pointed out that this vaccination rate is lower than expected and could seriously damage readiness if the Delta variant spreads.

The NYT reported that while vaccination rates are high in the Navy and Army, the rates in the Marine Corps and Air Force remain below 60%.

The Associated Press reported that if military personnel refuse vaccination after the mandate, it could be considered insubordination and subject to military law punishment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.