![]() "It's a very challenging recruiting environment." ![]() "This is the problem we foresaw from the beginning," the senior Guard official added. Many troops were vaccinated in January 2021, when the vaccine became available, but the small percentage of holdouts after the deadlines remains stubbornly steady. Some are concerned whether unvaccinated troops pose any significant health risk worth a radical reduction in the size of the force. The staggering number of unvaccinated Guardsmen sets up an unprecedented situation in which the Pentagon has drawn a line in the sand, but Army officials and Guard leaders interviewed by all agreed that so many troops being forced out would undermine the force. The Army's vague policies have created uncertainty, with a regular string of service leaders raising concerns with Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston about what to do with thousands of soldiers refusing immunization amid a rattled recruiting market.ĬOVID-19 vaccines almost immediately became a political dividing line for lawmakers and pundits, with some GOP governors balking at the Defense Department's rules and arguing that Guardsmen fall under state leadership and should be shielded from orders from the Pentagon to get the shot. There's a lot of shenaniganry there is no easy solution. "They don't want to kick that many people out. "There is no definitive guidance no one in the Army has told us how to ," a senior Guard officer told on the condition of anonymity to avoid retaliation. More than 46,700 members of the National Guard are supporting the response and 967 members have tested positive so far.But unlike active-duty formations, there is no policy requiring Guardsmen who refuse vaccination to be separated from service, meaning that the passed deadline has left states uncertain about what steps to take next. The National Guard has been at the forefront of the military's response to the coronavirus. ![]() ![]() Trump told reporters on Friday that Vice President Mike Pence's spokeswoman, Katie Miller, had tested positive for the virus, a day after news that Trump’s personal valet also had tested positive. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and U.S. The officials were Anthony Fauci, a high-profile member of the White House coronavirus response team, Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic also were in self-quarantine on Saturday after coming into contact with someone who had tested positive for the disease, their agencies and spokesmen said. The situation shows how the coronavirus, which has killed more than 78,000 people in the United States, is impacting the leadership in the United States government and the military. Neither Lengyel nor Gilday were present at a White House meeting on Saturday between President Donald Trump and his national security team, which included all other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Lengyel and Gilday's status was first reported by Reuters. Gilday tested negative for the coronavirus but would quarantine himself as a precaution for a week.
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