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The Washington Post reports:
Roughly 40,000 Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers remain unvaccinated against the coronavirus a week before the service’s deadline, according to Army data, highlighting the persistent struggle for commanders to bring soldiers under compliance.
Soldiers in the Army Reserve and Army National Guard were given until this coming Thursday to receive the vaccine, seek an exemption or face punishment, including removal from the service.
The deadline, set last year, is about seven months longer than any other service member in the U.S. military, allowing commanders extra time to ensure their soldiers followed an order from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
The Associated Press reports:
The Army Guard’s vaccine percentage is the lowest among the U.S. military — with all the active-duty Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps at 97% or greater and the Air Guard at about 94%. The Army reported Friday that 90% of Army Reserve forces were partially or completely vaccinated.
The Pentagon has said that after June 30, Guard members won’t be paid by the federal government when they are activated on federal status, which includes their monthly drill weekends and their two-week annual training period.
Guard troops mobilized on federal status and assigned to the southern border or on COVID-19 missions in various states also would have to be vaccinated or they would not be allowed to participate or be paid.
Up to 40,000 Army National Guard soldiers across the country have not yet gotten the mandated COVID-19 vaccine, and as the deadline for shots looms, at least 14,000 of them have flatly refused and could be forced out of the service. https://t.co/fqUROuG9rf
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) June 25, 2022