WHAT’S NEXT FOR MORE THAN 60K UNVACCINATED GUARD AND RESERVE SOLDIERS?
MILITARY
By Maggie BenZvi | July 08, 2022
More than 60,000 unvaccinated Army National Guard and Reserve soldiers likely won’t be cashing federal paychecks in July after missing the June 30 deadline to receive their COVID-19 shots. The soldiers could ultimately be forced out of the service, even as the military struggles with languishing recruitment and retention.
As of July 1, members of the Army National Guard and Army Reserve who have refused the COVID-19 vaccination order are no longer allowed to participate in federally funded drills or training. The unvaccinated soldiers — who make up more than 10% of the Guard and Reserve components — will not receive any pay or retirement credit until they get the shots.
The deadline for the Army National Guard and Reserve was generous compared with the active, Guard, and Reserve units from other branches of the military, all of which expected their members to finish either a one- or two-shot series by the end of 2021. But vaccination rates lagged from the start and never caught up to the numbers reached by active-duty soldiers.
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