Oklahoma National Guard troops will not be allowed to avoid the military's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, the Pentagon says, but it is unclear who will hold them accountable to the rule and what punishments, if any, will be handed down.
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Pentagon digs in on vaccine mandate for Oklahoma National Guard
Headline from The Hill ·
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Oklahoma Governor and Pentagon Standoff Over Vaccines Intensifies
"No negative administrative or legal action will be taken against Guardsmen who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine," Army Brigadier General Thomas Mancino said in a memo.
The newly appointed commander of the Oklahoma National Guard is refusing to enforce the Department of Defense’s coronavirus vaccine mandate for troops.
The Oklahoma National Guard rejected the Department of Defense's vaccine mandate Thursday, telling the troops they will not be penalized or punished for not getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Pentagon said it would respond to Oklahoma's Republican governor after the state's National Guard indicated it would thwart a Defense Department mandate that troops be vaccinated against Covid-19.
The new leader of the Oklahoma National Guard said none of its members will currently be required to become vaccinated for COVID-19, a step that contradicts with the Biden administration's vaccine mandate for the military.
Oklahoma National Guard troops will not be allowed to avoid the military's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, the Pentagon says, but it is unclear who will hold them accountable to the rule and what punishments, if any, will be handed down.
The state says its National Guard members don’t need to get vaccinated. Pentagon officials say a failure to follow “valid medical readiness requirements” could “jeopardize” the status of troops.
The move by Gov. Kevin Stitt has sparked concern within the Biden administration that other Republican-controlled states will follow Oklahoma’s lead, leaving the Pentagon with little recourse but to hold individual service members accountable for refusing lawful orders that their immediate chain of …
