WASHINGTON — Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is expected to announce his recommendation to President Joe Biden that vaccines be made mandatory for troops, officials told ABC News Wednesday evening.
A senior official said the announcement will come “soon,” while a separate U.S. official said an announcement is expected by the end of this week.
Last Thursday, Biden directed the DOD to look into how and when vaccines could be mandated for service members.
Austin’s recommendation in response is expected to be in favor of vaccine requirements, but for Austin to implement such a policy, he’ll need a written waiver from Biden.
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Because COVID-19 vaccines are available to the military under the FDA’s emergency use authorization (EUA), the shot has so far been strictly voluntary.
Pentagon officials have publicly said they would consider requiring COVID vaccinations, as is done with more than a dozen other vaccines, after the FDA fully approves the vaccines.
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”I believe that when it’s formally approved, which we expect pretty soon, we probably will go to that, and then that question will kind of be moot,” Vice Adm. John Nowell told a sailor in a town hall question-and-answer video posted to Facebook last month.
You may be asking yourself why the military doesn’t just wait for full approval, since it now seems Pfizer is very close.
The U.S. official pointed out that while the Pfizer vaccine is suitable for most land-based troops, the single-dose J&J is still preferred in some cases, especially for those deploying aboard ships.
A waiver from Biden would mean the DOD wouldn’t have to wait for all of the vaccines under EUA to be fully approved before being able to require them, which would afford the department more options.
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