Exclusive: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Will ‘Continually Review’ How to Bring Back Troops Kicked Out over Biden Vax MandateKristina Wong 16 Feb 2025
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in an exclusive interview with Breitbart News earlier this week said he will “continually review” how to bring back troops who were kicked out or left due to the Biden administration’s COVID vaccine mandate.
“The reality is that this never should have been done to these men and women. They never should have been forced out for an experimental vaccine. They never should have been denied religious exemptions. None of that should have happened,” Hegseth said in the interview Thursday.
“From President Trump to me on down, we recognized that for the wrong that it is, and we will explore even more formal ways to acknowledge that,” he added.
The acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness released a memo last week outlining the procedures for reinstating troops. The memo instructs the military services to directly contact those who were kicked out and make reinstatement available to them, and to publicly communicate to those who left voluntarily that they are welcome back if they present a written statement attesting they left due to the mandate and agree to at least two years of active-duty service.
However, some who fought the mandate while in uniform said the memo did not address lost promotions, courts-martial, or accountability for military leaders who had enforced the mandate.
Hegseth said he and his team will “continually review” the process to make sure troops are reinstated properly.
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https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/02/16/exclusive-defense-secretary-pete-hegseth-to-continually-review-how-to-bring-back-troops-kicked-out-over-biden-vax-mandate/
