Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin mandates COVID-19 vaccination for all service members

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a memo Wednesday requiring all service members to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

"Mandatory vaccinations are familiar to all of our Service members, and mission-critical inoculation is almost as old as the U.S. military itself," Austin wrote. "Our administration of safe, effective COVID-19 vaccines has produced admirable results to date, and I know the Department of Defense will come together to finish the job, with urgency, professionalism, and compassion." For those who have not yet been vaccinated, the mandatory vaccine will be Pfizer, which was just granted full FDA approval on Monday. Austin had said earlier this month that he'd require service members to be vaccinated either upon FDA approval or by mid-September with a waiver from President Biden.