• US forces are no longer required to receive the coronavirus vaccine after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin formally rescinded his August 2021 mandate late Tuesday.
• The requirement was sacrificed to help secure Republican support for the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, which sets Pentagon spending and policy priorities for each fiscal year.
• “No individuals currently serving in the armed forces shall be separated solely on the basis of their refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccination if they sought an accommodation on religious, administrative or medical grounds,” Austin wrote in a memorandum to the force.

Tagged: COVID-19