US forces are no longer required to receive the coronavirus vaccine after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin formally rescinded his August 2021 mandate late Tuesday.
The requirement was sacrificed to help secure Republican support for the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, which sets Pentagon spending and policy priorities for each fiscal year.
“No individuals currently serving in the armed forces shall be separated solely on the basis of their refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccination if they sought an accommodation on religious, administrative or medical grounds,” Austin wrote in a memorandum to the force.
