Admiral who said unvaxxed SEALs cause 'immediate harm' to Navy admitted no combat operations affected
Fox News
A new court document reveals a top Navy Admiral said he knew of no cases where COVID-19 had adversely impacted operations, despite requiring SEALs to be vaccinated, even with religious objections.
Kelly Laco is a politics editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Kelly.Laco@Fox.com and on Twitter: @kelly_laco.
The filing includes for the first time a deposition, conducted in late June 2022 with William Lescher, vice chief of naval operations. During the deposition, Lescher stated he was "unaware" of any Navy SEAL combat missions that had been negatively affected by COVID-19, despite his earlier claim that the vaccine mandate was necessary for successful Navy operations.
Lescher, who serves as the Navy's second-highest ranking uniformed officer, stated in a sworn declaration before the Supreme Court earlier this year that allowing unvaccinated SEALs will cause "immediate harm to the Navy" and "to the national security of the United States" and could be considered a "dereliction of duty."