As the deadline for obtaining the COVID-19 vaccine approaches, thousands of sailors are facing retirement from the U.S. Navy.
The deadline for the Navy to require active sailors to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is November 28. Sailors must receive a second dose of vaccine before November 14 to ensure that they are fully vaccinated before the deadline.
According to the U.S. Navy, as of November 15, 95% of its nearly 350,000 active-duty troops have been fully vaccinated, and more than 99% have received at least one coronavirus vaccine.
However, 3,500 active-duty sailors have not yet started the vaccination process, and about 17,500 people will not be fully vaccinated before the deadline.
“In order to ensure a fully vaccinated force, the U.S. Navy’s policy is to separate all naval service personnel who refuse to accept legal orders for COVID-19 vaccination,” said Lieutenant General John B. Noell Jr., Chief of Naval Staff, in Wrote in a letter to the commander this week.
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The news defined the “refusal of vaccination” for naval service personnel as including those who have not or will not be fully vaccinated by the deadline.
It added that the Navy is currently reviewing requests for exemptions based on medical and religious grounds.
According to the news, sailors with pending requests will not be processed to leave or face disciplinary action, but sailors who are denied exemption have five days to have the first injection, otherwise they will begin the discharge process.
Novel wrote: “Without excuse, the most unfavorable feature of naval servicemen’s refusal to vaccinate will be common (under glorious conditions).”
Full discharge means that these service personnel will no longer be eligible for certain veteran benefits and cannot be re-enlisted.
The Navy also warned that sailors who refused to shoot and did not receive a waiver would lose promotion opportunities and would not be eligible for bonuses and other compensation. It added: “Any unearned portion that has been received needs to be repaid.”
Sailors who receive tuition assistance must also be reimbursed to the Navy.
Each military department has set its own deadline for service personnel to be vaccinated against COVID-19 after the Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin Announced in the summer that he would add the vaccine to Mandatory vaccination list For the army.
The Air Force’s deadline for active members is November 2 which is the earliest. More than 8,000 members missed it, and 800 of them refused to be vaccinated.
The Navy and Marine Corps set the deadline for November 28, while the Army set the deadline for December 15.
The Navy has confirmed 1,190 COVID-19 cases, of which 173 members have died of COVID-19. The Navy said: “All Navy COVID deaths are unvaccinated individuals.”
The Navy has been contacted for comments.
