The U.S. Army announced Tuesday that all active-duty members must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 15, 2021.
National Guard units have until June 30, 2022, to show they are fully vaccinated.
The Pentagon announced in August that it would require the military to be vaccinated.
“This is quite literally a matter of life and death for our Soldiers, their families and the communities in which we live,” said Lt. Gen. R. Scott Dingle, the U.S. Army Surgeon General.
Members of the Army who refuse a vaccine will be counseled before any punishment, which could include “relief of duties or discharge.”
Exemptions are available on medical, religious, or administrative grounds.
The Air Force will require active-duty members to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 2. Members of the Navy and the Marines have until Nov. 28 to get either both Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot.
