US Department of Defense overturns Covid-19 vaccine mandate for troops

The Pentagon has officially removed its 2021 mandate that all United States military personnel must receive a vaccine against coronavirus.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sent out a memo confirming the official end of the requirement but said commanders will continue to "promote and encourage" Covid-19 vaccinations.

The annual defence budget bill signed into law in December required that the vaccine mandate be rescinded within 30 days. 

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This latest announcement comes after more than 2,000,000 active duty, reserve, and National Guard members have already received the vaccine and thousands of troops were forced out of the military for refusing to receive the vaccine.

The memo, which has now been sent to all military units, reads: "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."

The memo goes on to say: "The department will continue to promote and encourage Covid-19 vaccination for all service members," although Austin also said in the memo "vaccination enhances operational readiness and protects the force".

"The military departments will update the records of such individuals to remove any adverse actions solely associated with denials of such requests, including letters of reprimand."

Those military members who refused to get vaccinated and received a general discharge can now petition the Board of Corrections for Military Records to revise it, although the memo does not say what the correction to the service record could be or if those who were discharged could rejoin the military.

The memo said: "Service members administratively discharged on the sole basis that the service member failed to obey a lawful order to receive a vaccine, the Department is precluded by law from awarding any characterization less than a general (under honorable conditions) discharge."

As of 8 December 2022, there have been 453,456 recorded cases, 2,741 hospitalisations and 96 Covid-related deaths in the US military.