The United States Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, rejected an offer from the Oklahoma National Guard that would give its members the freedom not to get vaccinated against Covid-19, with the vaccination dictated by the Pentagon as mandatory.
In a letter Monday, Austin formally rejected Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt’s request that the state’s National Guard be exempted from the Pentagon’s Covid-19 military vaccination mandate.
Austin also threatened to take action against unvaccinated members of the Oklahoma National Guard, warning that refusal to be vaccinated “may lead to a ban on the member’s participation in drills and training” and could “jeopardize the member’s status. in the National Guard ».
Although Governor Stitt expressed concern that the vaccine mandate could result in a short-staffed National Guard that would be less able to respond to threats to state security and weather emergencies, Austin argued that such concerns “do not they deny the need for this important military readiness requirement. »
The governor had requested an exemption in a letter earlier this month, claiming that the “irresponsible” vaccine mandate “violates the personal freedoms of many Oklahomans, as it asks them to potentially sacrifice their personal beliefs in order not to lose their jobs. ».
The Oklahoma National Guard and the Pentagon have been involved in a confrontation since the Commander of the Guards 45th Infantry Brigade, Brigadier General Thomas Mancino, told his soldiers earlier this month that “no action would be taken.” “negative administrative or legal” if they refused vaccination.
The state National Guard argued that the Pentagon’s mandate only applied to federal soldiers, not state soldiers, yet the Pentagon has repeatedly threatened disciplinary action for all National Guard members who refuse to comply, calling it of “legal order” and citing federal funds from the Guard.
BioNTech says it is working on its response to the new variant of Covid-
