(NEXSTAR) – The United States Army is planning to begin an “involuntary separation” process for soldiers who refuse to comply with COVID-19 vaccination mandates.
The directive, announced Wednesday, would apply to “all Soldiers of the Regular Army and Soldiers of the Army National Guard/Army National Guard of the United States and the U.S. Army Reserve when serving on active duty for more than 30 days,” as well as cadets at the United States Military Academy (USMA) and Senior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (SROTC), according to a memo signed by Secretary of the Army Christine E. Wormuth.
The policy would not apply to those with approved exemptions due to medical, administrative or religious reasons. Those with pending exemption requests will be temporarily exempt during an evaluation.
Commanders will be in charge of starting the separation process for those who refuse vaccination beginning “immediately.”
“Army readiness depends on Soldiers who are prepared to train, deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars,” said Wormuth in a statement published at the official website of the U.S. Army. “Unvaccinated Soldiers present risk to the force and jeopardize readiness. We will begin involuntary separation proceedings for Soldiers who refuse the vaccine order and are not pending a final decision on an exemption.”
Those who refuse vaccination can also avoid involuntary separation by applying for an unqualified resignation (UQR) within 30 days of Wednesday’s directive, and announce their intentions to voluntarily separate before July 1, 2022. Those with retirement scheduled before July 1 are also exempt from the directive.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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