"We wanted to let them know what benefits they had earned because these are soldiers that had done their time, served their country," said Evans. In an Oct. 21 resignation letter provided by the governor's office, Thompson acknowledged that he was resigning, effective Jan. 15, 2022, at Stitt's request. Officials say they believe the information campaign has been working. "I wish the men and women of the Oklahoma National Guard all the best in the future.". Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Related:Kevin Stitt seeks COVID-19 vaccine exemption for Oklahoma National Guard. Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. Governor Greg Abbott today sent a letter announcing his intention to sue the federal government over its unconstitutional vaccine mandate for the Texas National Guard. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File). %PDF-1.6 % OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) - The Oklahoma National Guard has released a statement concerning their policy on COVID vaccination mandates for the Soldiers and Airmen in their formations. Reserve and National Guard units are expected to be fully vaccinated by June 30, 2022. 29 0 obj <>stream Repercussions could include being unable to mobilize or receive training at federal military installations, Thompson wrote. hb``e``b```Tx Roughly 40,000 National Guardsmen and 22,000 Reservists will be barred from service for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the US Army announced Friday. They protect the very freedoms that the federal government apparently doesnt believe they too deserve.. Jensen acknowledged that if the current numbers hold, there are concerns about possible impact on Guard readiness in the states, including whether it will affect any units preparing to deploy. The vast majority said that the booster dose was their fourth or fifth COVID-19 vaccine dose (45.4% and 50.2%, respectively). The letter, backed by 49 other representatives including Mike Gallagher . There's still time. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. In letters to the governors, Austin declined, and said the coronavirus "takes our service members out of the fight, temporarily or permanently, and jeopardizes our ability to meet mission requirements." The three U.S. territories Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, all have more than 90% of their soldiers fully vaccinated. 2008-2022 - Shore News Media & Marketing Ltd. Co. All rights reserved. The order issued Thursday by Mancino rescinded the previous guidance issued under his predecessor. %%EOF However, for the Army National Guard, which has a vaccine deadline of June 30, 2022, only 58.4% of personnel have been fully vaccinated and 66.2% have received at least one dose. Senior Master Sgt. 0. Gen. Mancino said in a Dec. 6 statement, Anyone exercising their personal responsibility and deciding not to take the vaccine, must realize that the potential for career ending federal action, barring a favorable court ruling, legislative intervention, or a change in policy is present.. And every Wednesday, Guard members could make appointments for shots in the middle Tennessee region, in Smyrna. We put them behind bars, not catch & release. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon, File). Mancino promptly issued a memorandum exempting Guard personnel from the Defense Departments policy requiring COVID-19 vaccinations. When you look at overall, the fact that there is no health insurance provided to the National Guard folks, and we asked them to be ready at a moments notice, we really need to make sure that theyre medically healthy and ready and if theyre injured that theyve gotten that treated so that they can really respond when we ask them to, Hokanson said. "The COVID-19 vaccine mandate is a Department of Defense requirement," the statement said. The debate regarding the limits of individual liberty and the state's obligation to promote the common welfare and to protect its citizens i Corning Inc. is a major player in the battle to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic, and the New York Army National Guard is manning a state-run regional vaccination center at SUNY Corning Community College. Y^13,``?v[a^ The Guard has rejected 42 applications for religious waivers and has yet to grant a single one. Guard soldiers have until Thursday to get the vaccine. Ohio Gov. All rights reserved. "I appreciate you allowing me to have this time to coordinate transition between now and January 15, 2022," Thompson wrote. "The clarified policy on COVID vaccinations for Oklahoma Army and Air National Guardsmen reflects the governor's ability to assert his command authority over the men and women of the Oklahoma National Guard while they are within the state's borders," said Lt. Col. Geoff Legler, a spokesman for the guard. Among the Air. Read the full story at theDaily Caller News Foundation. Jensen said about 1,500 soldiers a week around the country are moving into the vaccinated category. Congressional Research Service 3 Figure 1. WALTZ: GUARD 'CRIPPLED' BY VACCINE MANDATE: Republican lawmakers are calling on Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to rescind a policy that has cut pay and benefits for nearly 60,000 Guard and . Legal Statement. Thompson was a vocal proponent of COVID-19 vaccines. 7 0 obj <> endobj 0 Kevin Stitt appointed Mancino to replace former Adjutant General Michael Thompson, who had served in that role since 2017. This personal decision regarding vaccination, like any other, will have consequences.". Their letter is the latest salvo in the battle between states and the federal government over inoculating those in uniform. As long as they remain in state duty status, they can be paid by the state and used for state missions. Photo by Daniel Schludi on Unsplash. Most military branches require troops to receivenumerous vaccinations to be eligible for service. These consequences will depend on the individual's status.". Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. In November, Oklahoma made headlines when the commanding general of the states National Guard issued a memo exempting Oklahoma Guardsmen from getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Alaska, Iowa, Mississippi, Nebraska and Wyoming have joined Oklahoma in challenging the Defense Department's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. In one of his first acts as the head of the Oklahoma National Guard, new Adjutant General Thomas Mancino updated the guard's COVID-19 vaccine policy. More:Oklahoma special session won't address COVID-19 vaccine mandates, a divisive issue for GOP. Active duty Army units are expected to be fully vaccinated by December 15, 2021. Evans, who is commander of his Army Guard's medical readiness command, said they also had recruiting and other leaders there who could explain what would happen if soldiers chose to not get the shot and ended up leaving the Guard. WATERVLIET, N.Y. - Almost 1,000 New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen were vaccinated against COVID-19 Dec. 17-20 as part of a Department of Defense (DOD) pilot program at 16 locations worldwide. The debate over COVID-19 vaccine mandates has gained new battleground among America's armed forces. Priority for the vaccine went to Army and Air Guard health care providers and personnel assigned to the COVID-19 response task force. Legal Statement. The Guard has achieved about 98% of its total force size goal of 336,000 for the 2022 fiscal year, Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau told Stars and Stripes. | D,AD`v) $bq( j$W _Fi 0 "* In a memorandum sent out on Nov. 30, Austin reiterated that federal mandates apply to National Guard personnel when they are drilling under Title 32 of the U.S. Federal Code. Sep 15, 2021. More than 10% of the Army National Guard was likely to miss the imposed deadline, which was Thursday, to get the coronavirus vaccine. More:Mask mandates, politics dial up intensity at Oklahoma school board meetings. "The clarified policy on COVID vaccinations for Oklahoma Army and Air National Guardsmen reflects the governor's ability to assert his command authority over the men and women of the Oklahoma National Guard while they are within the state's borders," said Lt. Col. Geoff Legler, a spokesman for the guard. A Stitt spokesman previously said after thegovernor decided he wanted to promote Mancino from assistant adjutant general, it didn't seem necessary to keep Thompson on into January. Every soldier that is pending an exemption, we will continue to support them through their process," said Lt. Gen. Jon Jensen, director of the Army National Guard, in an Associated Press interview. Missouri National Guard moves forward with COVID-19 vaccine rules. "We're going to give every soldier every opportunity to get vaccinated and continue their military career. All rights reserved. The memo obtained by The Oklahoman also notes "no negative administrative or legal action will be taken" against guard memberswho refuse the COVID-19 vaccine. According to figures provided by the National Guard Bureau, 70 percent of Guard members had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine as of November 22 and 62.6 percent had been fully vaccinated. Nearly 10,000 National Guard troops have declined to receive the vaccine, according to DOD data, and wait in limbo until the Army gives permission for the Guard to issue discharges. In the letter, the Governor reminds everyone in his chain of command not to punish any member of the Texas National Guard for choosing not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Those numbers remain well below the rates for the federal force, where more than 97% of personnel have received at least one vaccination dose. "Uniformed members and Title 5 federal civilian employees who elect not to receive the vaccine will be counseled regarding the consequences of not being vaccinated. 4 - Refusal, without an. The highest percentage is in Hawaii, with nearly 97%, while the lowest is Oklahoma, at just under 70%. (AP Photo/David Goldman), "When you're looking at, 40,000 soldiers that potentially are in that unvaccinated category, absolutely there's readiness implications on that and concerns associated with that," said Jensen. Some, they said, may just be a lag in self-reporting, while others may still be undecided. S9Ao$030| Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last year ordered all service members active duty, National Guard and Reserves to get the vaccine, saying it is critical to maintaining the health and readiness of the force. Guard leaders in the states have run special shot programs, and provided as much information as possible to their forces in order to keep them on the job. "We expect, as we approach the deadline, that we'll see some larger growth. "All personnel will be given the opportunity to receive the vaccine," Thompson wrote. The Army Guard's vaccine percentage is the lowest among the U.S. military with all the active-duty Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps at 97% or greater and the Air Guard at about 94%. All defendants in crime reports are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Megan Rose, (left), 155th Medical Group nurse, gives a COVID-19 vaccination dose to a Nebraska Air National Guard volunteer, Jan. 10, 2021, at the 155th Air Refueling Wing in Lincoln. The Army reported Friday that 90% of Army Reservists were partially or completely vaccinated. "We had all of our medical providers here. The service allows soldiers to request exemptions for medical or religious reasons, which are approved on a case-by-case basis. Stitt's sudden replacement of Thompsonhas raised questions about whether the former adjutant general was oustedbecause of his viewson mandatory vaccines for members of the military. "That's a significant chunk.". Texas continues to secure our border. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The National Guard is shipping doses of Novavax's newly approved COVID-19 vaccine out to units in hopes it will help shrink the number of unvaccinated Guardsmen who face expulsion. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. About 10% of National Guardsmen around 45,000 soldiers and airmen are not fully inoculated against the coronavirus . In November, Gov. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT REVERSES RULE, ALLOWS HIV POSITIVE MEMBERS TO SERVE, Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Anthony Jones). The Army National Guard's vaccination rate is at. As vaccinations have become mandatory for all federal personnel, There is a readiness issue, but the Pentagon has taken a very moderate line with compliance, said Fidell, adding that he expects the matter to play out in court over the coming year. Max Hauptman Health care is absolutely critical to making that happen.. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org. Stitt spokesman Charlie Hannema said the change isn't really a policy shift, but rathera clarification of the governor's intent as commander in chief. Thompson's guidance thattoutedthe effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and detailedthe consequences guard members could face for refusing the shotshad amarkedly different tone from the memoMancino issued Thursday. hbbd``b`6@ On Tuesday, Republican governors from five states, Alaska, Iowa, Mississippi, Nebraska and Wyoming, published a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin requesting exemptions for National Guard personnel from federal COVID-19 vaccination mandates. h22V0P02Q07W02U045T02S0 He previously worked at The Washington Post as a Military Veterans in Journalism Fellow, as well as covering local news in New England. National Guard Prepares To Lose 14,000 Troops Over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Micaela Burrow on September 21, 2022 The Army National Guard could discharge up to 14,000 troops over the next two years for refusing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, service leaders told Stars and Stripes Tuesday. The memo came just one day after Gov. "We're not giving up on anybody until the separation paperwork is signed and completed. In addition, the Air National Guard has about 5,400 airmen who have either flatly refused the vaccine or are seeking waivers, although the service did not say how many faced possible separation or when, Stars and Stripes reported. Andrew Bates pulls up tape marking a line at a coronavirus mass-vaccination site at the former Citizens Bank headquarters in Cranston, Rhode Island, on June 10, 2021. Hannema didn't respond to a question about whether Stitt asked for the change. Stitt's office has denied that Thompson was replaced due to his opinion on vaccine mandates, and said the change in command was in the works since October. Among the Air National Guard, which had a Dec. 2 deadline to comply with vaccine requirements, 90.8% of personnel are fully vaccinated and 92% have received at least one dose. COVID-19 Vaccination Deadlines and Approval Authorities for Exemptions Sources: CRS graphic based on analysis of Department of the Army, FRAGO 5 to HQDA EXORD 225-21 COVID-19 Steady State Operations, September 14, 2021; Army Regulation 600-20, Army Command Policy, July 24, 2020; Department of the Air . Indeed, Brig. "The clarification will allow our unvaccinated Guardsmen to continue to serve in Oklahoma without any negative repercussion, but it does not provide any protection should they need to attend any military school or training activity run by an active duty component or the Department of Defense.". Military Departments to immediately begin full vaccination of all members of the Armed Forces under DoD authority on active duty or in the Ready Reserve, including the National Guard, who are not fully vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To make it more complicated, however, Guard soldiers on state activate duty may not have to be vaccinated based on the requirements in their states. Oklahoma's attorney general filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all federal employees and the state's National Guard on Thursday, according to a . Matthew Riley, both with the Maneuver Area Training Equipment Site of Camp Shelby, fill 5-gallon buckets in March 2021 at a Jackson water distribution site. 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Tom DuMont ushers in drivers as teams standby to administer the first shot of . In a memo issued Thursday, Mancino ordered that no members of the Oklahoma National Guard be requiredto take a COVID-19 vaccine. That means that for annual drills and training, Guard members who remain unvaccinated will be unable to maintain their full-time status and participate in activities that count towards retirement benefits. "#+lo;_Lv<1=eS;V]O^l3?um[-t[$m9EM[1. A vaccine mandate intended for the National Guard remains undecided by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.However, Representative Michael Waltz (R-FL) has announced his opposition to the mandate in a letter sent on July 26th. Army National Guard recruiters face unprecedented challenges, Hokansan told Stars and Stripes. WASHINGTON (AP) Up to 40,000 Army National Guard soldiers across the country or about 13% of the force have not yet gotten the mandated COVID-19 vaccine, and as the deadline for shots. or redistributed. In addition, in early June they called in all soldiers who have so far refused the vaccine. Click here. ", Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. A total of six state governors have challenged the Defense Departments COVID-19 vaccine mandate as it pertains to their respective states National Guard. Roughly 97 percent of the 1.3 million active-duty service members in the United States military have had at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, but the proportion is much lower for the Guard . Market data provided by Factset. The Guard will first staff approximately 50 COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Teams, or CVTTs, that are comprised of a uniformed medical technician and . They have been mobilized to the U.S.-Mexico border, called upon to drive school buses in Massachusetts, and responded to protests throughout the summer of 2020. Under the federal mandate, National Guard troops face a June deadline to be vaccinated against COVID unless they can present a medical or religious exemption. The Pentagon has said that after June 30, unvaccinated Guard members won't be paid by the federal government when they are activated on federal status, which includes their monthly drill weekends and their two-week annual training period. No Department of Defense funding may be allocated for payment of duties performed under Title 32 for members of the National Guard who do not comply with Department of Defense COVID-19 vaccination requirements, wrote Austin. According to the National Guard Bureau, as of Dec. 6, the National Guard as a whole is 66.2% fully vaccinated, and 72.5% of personnel had received at least one dose. Smith estimated the Guard could separate as many as 9,000 troops throughout the country in fiscal year 2023, which begins Oct. 1, and an additional 5,000 the following year, according to Stars and Stripes. According to data obtained by The Associated Press, between 20% to 30% of Guard members in six states are not vaccinated, and more than 10% in 43 other states still need shots. "Deciding whether to be vaccinated is ultimately a personal choice that each of us must make. Kevin Stitt named him to replace Gen. Michael Thompson.>> Related: Oklahoma COVID-19 case counts look good, but . Grillers at a past "Grillin' on the Green" event in Lakeport, California. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. They [the federal government] can withdraw federal recognition for drill time, they can reject promotions. Still, a defense official told Task & Purpose that Guard vaccination rates may be higher than the official tally since many service members have received vaccines through civilian healthcare providers and have not yet entered that data into their records. Gen. Thomas Mancino as the states adjutant general. Kim Reynolds also issued a separate statement, saying that, Its unconscionable to think the government will go so far as to strip these honorable men and women of the nations top duties if they dont comply. The decision effectively cuts. Vaccination is essential to the health and readiness of the Force. By 2022 FOX News Network, LLC. Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy Mary Van Beusekom | News Writer | CIDRAP News Today two studies post positive data on the SARS-CoV-2 Mild Omicron BA.4/BA.5 bivalent (two-strain) booster vaccine, with Pfizer/BioNTech announcing substantially greater immune response than . The Army National Guard could discharge up to 14,000 troops over the next two years for refusing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, service leaders told Stars and Stripes Tuesday. He said Guard troops must either get the vaccine or lose their Guard status. Max Hauptman has been covering breaking news at Task & Purpose since December 2021. Eighty-nine percent of the Army National Guard has received one. Up to 40,000 Army National Guard soldiers across the country about 13% of the force have not gotten the mandated COVID-19 vaccine, and as the deadline for shots looms, at least 14,000 of them have flatly refused and could be forced out of the service. Jensen and Maj. Gen. Jill Faris, director of the Guard's office of the Joint Surgeon General, said they are working with states' adjutants general to get progress updates, including on the nearly 20,000 troops who are not flat refusals and haven't submitted any type of exemption request. Want to write for Task & Purpose? The Department of Defense COVID-19 mandate is creating "dilemmas" for the Iowa National Guard, Maj. Gen. Ben Corell told the Legislature on Thursday. Unless otherwise stated, photos Big Stock Photography Dreamstime Photos Google Maps Thompson Reuters. Only seven Army National Guard members have obtained permanent medical vaccine waivers, according to DOD data. "Let me be clear: Federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates will no doubt impact our organization," Corell, adjutant general, said in his annual Condition of the Guard address. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. Guard leaders say states are doing all they can to encourage soldiers to get vaccinated by the deadline. Staff Sgt. (U.S. National Guard photo by Sgt. Others may have promised to bring in vaccine paperwork, and haven't done it yet. "However, freedom is always the standard in Oklahoma," Thompson wrote.
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