Ending COVID-Vax Mandate Would Divide Troops into Two Classes, Navy Secretary Says

[Nevilledog]

https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2022/12/ending-covid-vax-mandate-would-divide-troops-two-classes-navy-secretary-says/380534/

If Congress abolishes the military’s vaccine mandate, the Navy would be forced to separate sailors into two groups, the service’s top civilian said Tuesday.

“Unquestionably, it will create almost two classes of citizens in our services: those that can’t deploy and those that can deploy. And that creates all sorts of problems,” Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said at the America’s Future Fleet Symposium in Arlington, Virginia. “Let's make sure we understand the secondary consequences of our actions.”

Last week, several Senate Republicans announced they would oppose moving ahead with the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act unless they could vote on an amendment that would stop the military from booting troops who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine and restore booted troops to duty with back pay. They questioned the wisdom of the mandate during a recruiting crisis.

“At a time when the military is struggling to meet their targets for recruitment, the Biden administration is firing soldiers we invested in and trained,” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said at the press conference on Capitol Hill.

As of Nov. 30, nearly two million service members had been fully vaccinated. More than 8,200 have refused the vaccine and been separated as a consequence, according to data from the service branches.

*snip*

Dems are making a mistake if they agree to get rid of this mandate IMHO

[Hugh_Lebowski]

1. Agree. Seems ill-advised (nt)

[Nevilledog]

2. ...

[LuvLoogie]

3. Put them on pots and pans and latrines

Janitor duty 12 hours a day.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. This is a very dumb idea

[spanone]

5. republicans don't care...they see it as a way to mollify trmp and own Biden

That's all they are about.