Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III officially mandated the COVID-19 vaccine for the military, sending a memo announcing the news Aug. 24, a day after the Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech version of the shot. However, Austin’s memo does not ...
COVID-19 Update
The Pentagon’s plan to make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for the U.S. military is set to take effect in the coming days, as the Food and Drug Administration issued full approval for the Pfzier-BioNTech shot Aug. 23. The Defense Department “is prepared to issue updated ...
In the next month or so, the COVID-19 vaccine will become mandatory for all Active-duty service members following Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III's announcement Aug. 9 that he will ask President Joe Biden for a waiver to require the shot by Sept. 15. For ...
As the delta variant of COVID-19 rapidly spreads across the country, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III has announced he will ask President Joe Biden for a waiver to require all service members to inoculate—but he will wait at least a month, the Pentagon confirmed ...
The Defense Department’s new guidance mandating the return of masks in certain localities for all personnel, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status, will affect the vast majority of Air Force and Space Force installations in the United States, an Air Force Magazine analysis shows.
The Defense Department is directing the return of masks for all personnel in areas with increasing COVID-19 cases following updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen H. Hicks on July 28 issued a memo to all Defense Department personnel directing ...
The Defense Department is beginning to see the highly infectious Delta variant of COVID-19 among service members. Officials are urging more troops to receive vaccinations, saying health protection conditions could increase if cases rise. The new variant, which emerged from India and is expected to ...
The last federally supported COVID-19 vaccine center staffed by U.S. military personnel closed June 20, wrapping up more than four months of vaccinations at dozens of sites nationwide. While the federally supported sites have closed, National Guard personnel are still supporting state and local vaccination ...
Senior military leaders are stepping up efforts to encourage service members to get the COVID-19 vaccine, even as the Defense Department rolls back mask mandates and other regulations put in place to stymie the spread of the virus. As of May 20, the Defense Department ...