Coronavirus: Thread

[grarpamp]

https://www.theepochtimes.com/nearly-50-members-of-congress-call-on-pentagon-to-end-military-vaccine-mandate_4734970.html
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-army-restricted-unvaccinated-soldiers-official-travel-documents-show
https://www.army.mil/article/258107/reserve_component_soldiers_must_now_be_vaccinated_to_participate_in_training_drill
https://lc.org/091422GOPLettertoAustin.pdf

Nearly 50 Members of Congress Call on Pentagon to End Military Vaccine Mandate
By Katabella Roberts
September 16, 2022 Updated: September 16, 2022
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Nearly 50 Republican lawmakers, led by Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), have
called on the Department of Defense (DOD) to withdraw its COVID-19
vaccine mandate for military members, citing concerns over the
mandate’s impact on the readiness of the U.S. Armed Forces.

In a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin dated Sept. 15 (pdf),
lawmakers, including Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Thomas Massie
(R-Ky.), expressed their “grave concerns” over the impact of the
mandate, particularly with regard to the U.S. Army.

“As a result of your mandate, eight percent of the Army’s
approximately 1 million soldiers face expulsion, Army recruiters
cannot meet their FY22 target, and the Army has cut its projected FY23
end strength by 12,000 soldiers,” they wrote.

Referring to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, lawmakers noted
that the U.S. military currently faces “a self-imposed readiness
crisis.”

Citing “sparse” data from the Department of Army, they noted that “at
least 40,000 National Guardsmen, 20,000 Army Reservists, and at least
15,000 Active Army Soldiers” have not yet received a COVID-19 shot and
subsequently face being discharged from service.

“The Department of Defense’s own Covid response page indicates that
approximately 900,000 soldiers are fully vaccinated out of the 1
million soldiers in the Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard,”
they wrote.

Lawmakers pointed to testimony delivered in July by Vice Chief of
Staff of the Army, Gen. Joseph Martin, before the House Armed Services
Committee. During that testimony, Martin stated that “less than
20,000” people were facing discharge for refusing to take the COVID-19
vaccine, much less than the initial figures that officials had
provided.
House Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing On The Threat To Individual
Freedoms In Post-Roe World Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) speaks during a
hearing of the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in
Washington, on July 14, 2022. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
‘Inquiries Remain Unanswered’

However, lawmakers in their letter to the DOD noted that the Army has
not published official data pertaining to the number of unvaccinated
service members in months.

“The opaqueness of the Department continues to frustrate Members of
Congress attempting to perform oversight of the Executive Branch,”
they wrote, noting that their “repeated inquiries remain unanswered.”

Republicans also pointed to the “thousands of servicemembers” that
“have been left in limbo” while they await a formal judgment regarding
their medical exemptions to the vaccine.

“Some have waited for nearly a year to learn if they will be forcibly
discharged for their sincerely held religious beliefs or medical
concerns,” lawmakers wrote.

“Furthermore, according to current Army policy, even those few
soldiers who receive permanent exemptions will be treated as
second-class soldiers for the rest of their careers—each of them
requires approval from the Undersecretary of the Army to travel,
change assignments, or even attend training courses away from their
home station,” they wrote.

According to U.S Army fragmentary orders published by Fox News, the
Army has barred unvaccinated soldiers from official travel unless they
receive the undersecretary’s approval.

“The Department has abused the trust and good faith of loyal
servicemembers by handling vaccine exemptions in a sluggish and
disingenuous manner,” lawmakers said.

They then questioned who would replace the roughly 75,000 soldiers if
they were to be discharged from the Army. Martin said in July that if
a shortfall in Army troop size were to persist, it could have an
impact on readiness.
Epoch Times Photo A military member prepares a COVID-19 vaccine in
Fort Knox, Ky., on Sept. 9, 2021. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
Service Member Shortfall

Citing Army Secretary Christine Wormuth’s interview with NBC News
earlier this year in which she noted that the Army has only met 52
percent of its recruiting goal for the fiscal year 2022, they asked,
“How will it recruit another 75,000 troops beyond its annual target to
account for vaccine-related discharges?”

In that same interview, Wormuth said she believes the Army would end
up roughly 12,000 to 15,000 recruits short this year.

“The data is now clear. The Department of Defense’s Covid vaccine
mandate is deleterious to readiness and the military’s ability to
fight and win wars,” lawmakers concluded. “The vaccine provides
negligible benefit to the young, fit members of our Armed Forces, and
the mandate’s imposition is clearly affecting the Department’s ability
to sustain combat formations and recruit future talent.”

“We urge you to immediately revoke your Covid-19 vaccine mandate for
all servicemembers, civilian personnel, and contractors and re-instate
those who have already been discharged.”

As of July 1, 2022, under the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate,
members of the Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve who are not
vaccinated and do not have an approved exemption are unable to
participate in federally funded drills and training and will not
receive pay or retirement credit.

Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate has been in place across the entire
military since last year and the White House has defended the move,
stating that mass vaccination will help stem the spread of the virus.