Mandate Covid-19 vaccine for active duty military members

FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, Calif. (KION) Covid-19 vaccinations will soon be mandatory for all active duty U.S. Military members. The Pentagon announced this week the mandate will be in place in mid-September.

Throughout the pandemic military bases, like Fort Hunter Liggett, have continued to operate. Just recently the training facility reinstated the army mask policy for everyone indoors based off the DOD’s guidance due to the uptick in Delta variant cases. As far as those vaccinated, Lieutenant Colonel Stanley, said more then half of its staff at Fort Hunter Liggett and Camp Parks, part of the U.S. Army Combat Support Training Center at Fort Hunter Liggett, have already been vaccinated

“Throughout those two bases we have 59% vaccination rate which  is pretty good! So that’s over twelve- hundred folks who have been vaccinated throughout our region,” Lieutenant Colonel Stanley, Deputy Garrison Commander at Fort Hunter Liggett.  

As far as this new mandate is concerned, Lieutenant Colonel Stanley says this wouldn’t be the first required vaccination. “Vaccination in the military is not new, period. From the first day I joined basic training up until now 29 years later I have been vaccinated throughout my entire career. We do this to protect our force and protect the people that count on us on a daily bases.”

When the mandate was first reported, President Biden in a statement said, “Being vaccinated will enable our service members to stay healthy, to better protect their families, and to ensure that our force is ready to operate anywhere in the world.” That article can be found here.

But the fight doesn't stop at vaccines, Fort Hunter Liggett says they provide testing and require soldiers who are coming in to train to validate they've been tested for the virus. The base also has contact tracing teams and keeps soldiers informed through social media and town hall meetings.