Panetta calls on Biden to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for military
BY CAROLINE VAKIL - 07/10/21 02:34 PM EDT Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said that President Biden should require all military members to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
In an interview with Greta Van Susteren set to air on Sunday, Panetta said it was a matter of “national security.”
“I frankly think the president ought to issue an order requiring everybody in the military to get a COVID-19 shot, period. That's an issue involving our national security,” Panetta, who served under the Obama administration, said. “The last damn thing you need is to have those in the military that are our warriors unable to respond to a mission because they've gotten COVID-19. There's no excuse for that.”
“When I was in the Army, I got every shot required by the military, shots in both arms as well as everywhere else. There is no reason we should not require a COVID-19 shot for everyone in the military, period,” he continued.
More than half of all service members are at least partially vaccinated as of late June.
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https://thehill.com/policy/defense/562401-panetta-calls-on-biden-to-mandate-covid-19-vaccines-for-military
