The Pentagon will require members of the US military to receive COVID-19 vaccination by September 15, according to the White House and the Department of Defense.
That deadline could be pushed up if the Pfizer vaccine receives full FDA approval or infection rates continue to rise, according to The Associated Press.
“To defend this Nation, we need a healthy and ready force. I strongly encourage all DoD military and civilian personnel – as well as contractor personnel – to get vaccinated now and for military service members to not wait for the mandate,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a memo to employees Monday.
“Based on these consultations and on additional discussions with leaders of the White House COVID Task Force, I want you to know that I will seek the President’ s approval to make the vaccines mandatory no later than mid-September, or immediately upon the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensure, whichever comes first,” Austin wrote.
By way of expectation, public reporting suggests the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine could achieve full FDA licensure early next month, the memo read.
The White House released a statement supporting Secretary Austin’s memo saying President Biden strongly supports mandating the vaccine.
“Being vaccinated will enable our service members to stay healthy, to better protect their families, and to ensure that our force is ready to operate anywhere in the world,” President Biden said.
A global media for the latest news, entertainment, music fashion, and more.
