Biden's vaccine requirement could 'very well' require troops to get the shot

New vaccine requirements for federal employees expected from Biden "very well" could mean troops will be required to get the shot, a senior Pentagon official said.

New vaccine requirements for federal employees expected to be announced by President Joe Biden Thursday "very well" could mean troops will be required to get the shot, a senior Pentagon official told ABC News on Wednesday. But if not, it still may only be a matter of time. Because COVID-19 vaccines are available to the military under the Food and Drug Administration's emergency use authorization (EUA), the shot has so far been strictly voluntary. "It is not FDA approved, and therefore, it is still a voluntary vaccine," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters earlier this month. "I would like to add that as we speak, almost 69% of DOD personnel have received at least one dose. That's not bad." On Saturday, Austin told reporters "at least 70% of the force" has received one dose or more, a number comparable to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's reporting of 70.2% for all 18-year-olds and older in the U.S. population.