Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Wednesday, Aug. 25, issued a memorandum directing the secretaries of all military departments to "immediately begin full vaccination of all members of the armed forces," and "impose ambitious timelines for implementation."
"With the support of the president, I have determined that mandatory vaccination against the coronavirus disease is necessary to protect the Force and defend the American people," Austin said.
Notice of the order came just two days after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fully approved the Pfizer coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine. The Pentagon had previously said that it expected to mandate the vaccine no later than Sept. 15.?An official deadline for full vaccination has not been announced.
Austin did not mention in the memo the possible adverse effects of the available COVID-19 vaccines, most of which are under emergency use authorization (EUA).
The mandate is essentially forcing the military to take part in the biggest vaccine experiment in history, which is tantamount to treason considering the high probability of having unnecessary deaths among the members of the armed forces. (Related: Biden's Pentagon taking massive risk by ordering ALL military personnel to get experimental COVID-19 vaccine.)
Most available COVID-19 vaccines are under EUA
The FDA acknowledged that Pfizer has "insufficient stocks" of the newly licensed Comirnaty vaccine available. The FDA also pointed out that the licensed Pfizer Comirnaty vaccine and the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine under EUA are "legally distinct." Meaning, most of the COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S. don't have full approval of the FDA.
Just recently, the FDA added a warning to the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines about possible link to cases of myocarditis in teenagers and young adults.
Myocarditis is a condition that involves inflammation of the heart muscle. Symptoms can include fever and fatigue, as well as shortness of breath and a very specific type of chest pain. Patients tend to say their chest hurts more when they lean forward. The pain tends to subside when they lean back.
The COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Technical (VaST) Work Group noted that the risk of myocarditis following vaccination with the mRNA-based vaccines in adolescents and young adults is notably higher after the second dose and in males.
Pfizer and Moderna use mRNA technology in their COVID-19 vaccines, while Johnson & Johnson uses the more traditional virus-based technology. According to VaST, the data suggests a likely association of myocarditis with mRNA vaccination in adolescents and young adults.
Public health officials tried to downplay the issue by calling the cases of myocarditis in vaccinated individuals mild, but a cardiologist who treated a patient suffering from the condition after getting vaccinated against COVID-19 said that "no case of myocarditis is mild."
Myocarditis reduces your heart's ability to pump and can cause rapid or abnormal heartbeats. Severe cases of myocarditis can lead to heart attack, stroke, heart failure and sudden cardiac arrest.
Vaccine resistance in military remains strong
With more than 800,000 members of the armed forces yet to take the COVID-19 vaccine, vaccine resistance in the military remains strong.
Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby noted in a press conference on Wednesday that there is a wide discrepancy among the branches of the military concerning their members' vaccination status: The Navy has 73 percent of its members fully vaccinated; the Air Force, including Space Force, has 57 percent fully vaccinated;?the Marine Corps has 53 percent fully vaccinated; and the Army has 40 percent fully vaccinated.
Kirby insisted that the Pentagon's mandate is "a lawful order and we fully anticipate that our troops are going to follow lawful orders."
Aspals Legal, a web resource for military lawyers, argued that a law that violates rights is unworkable. "It might be [a] lawful order, but when so many refuse to take a questionable treatment, how do you punish them effectively?" Aspals Legal asked.
Unvaccinated troops could lose pensions, other benefits
Some unvaccinated troops have said they'd get the COVID-19 vaccine once it's required, but others are flatly opposed. Now that the vaccine is mandated, a refusal could constitute failure to obey an order and may be punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
A Marine official has already started conditioning the mind of his subordinates.
Internal emails reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon revealed that the Marines will lose their pensions, tuition assistance and access to the G.I. bill, along with other military benefits, if they refuse the COVID-19 vaccination.
An Aug. 18 email from Col. Teague Pastel, a commanding officer at the Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C., told colleagues that although "vaccines are still voluntary," the military believes "they will become mandatory in the near future."
Pastel wrote that the penalties for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine should be in line with others for insubordination, including "administration separation," a demerit in the Marine's personal file, as well as the forfeiture of various retirement and financial benefits.
"Please continue engaging with our troops on the importance of vaccinating, and stress that it is still voluntary at this time. However, once the vaccine becomes mandatory they need to be prepared to separate and potentially lose benefits," Pastel wrote. "If the Marines are not willing to lose the benefits then they should just get the vaccine now."
FDA's full approval opens door for vaccine mandates
Pastel sent the email before the FDA granted full approval to Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, which opened the door for the military to mandate it for its members. The move was rather predictable. (Related: FDA vaccine "approval" leads blue states to order the mass slaughter of teachers, workers and first responders.)
"The whole FDA stamp of approval is merely a facilitator for forcing shots on unwilling Americans.?The fallout was seen immediately with a wave of vaccine mandates from companies, universities and organizations that were waiting for the final FDA authorization that would assuage any niggling of conscience or fears of legal reprisal," Celeste McGovern wrote in her blog at LifeSiteNews.com.
"This FDA stamp gives them the full green light to impose their will on others and to abuse medical freedom of conscience and the universal principle of informed consent."
McGovern also noted that Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine is still experimental as its clinical trials don't end until May 2023.
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