The United States' National Guard will not be complying with U.S. President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate unless they were federally mobilized, an announcement that comes as direct defiance to the Democrat's requirement for the military.
The statement was made by the Guardsmen's new Adjutant General, Thomas Mancino, on Thursday. The official said that none of the Guardsmen who refuse to take the coronavirus vaccine would be affected by negative administrative or legal actions. It also revealed that Oklahoma's command would continue to process federal vaccine waivers under the policy of the Department of Defense.
US National Guard
Recently, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Mancino to become the Guardsmen's new Adjutant General and replaced Michael Thompson, who has been leading the Oklahoma National Guard since 2017. While the new official announced the members would not be getting vaccinated, his predecessor has largely been supportive of the inoculation of Guardsmen, with some exceptions.
"This policy is not anti-vaccine. I and the Governor are both vaccinated. I encourage all our Oklahoma Guard Members to get vaccinated if they choose to do so. We want to educate and inform our Soldiers and Airmen so that they can make an informed decision regarding the DoD Vaccine Mandate," said Mancino in a Saturday released statement, Fox News reported.
On the other hand, the Pentagon said it would be responding to Mancino's memo since the vaccine mandate for military service members has been in effect since August. The defiance to the requirement comes as many Republican-led states nationwide have filed a lawsuit to prevent Biden's vaccine mandate from affecting federal contractors.
On Friday, a federal appeals court reaffirmed its previous decision to pause a separate vaccine mandate temporarily. The requirement would have forced private businesses with more than 100 workers to have them vaccinated against the coronavirus and impose penalties to those unwilling to get inoculated.
The two rules on businesses are scheduled to take effect in January and affect roughly 100 million American workers nationwide. In a statement, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the agency was aware of Mancino's memo and said they would be responding appropriately, CNN reported.
Replacement of Adjutant General
However, the agency said that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed his belief that "a vaccinated force is a more ready force." This included the National Guard, whose members significantly contributed to national operations both at home and internationally.
Mancino's predecessor, Thompson, previously told members who did not want to get vaccinated would be advised on alternative options. Additionally, the former official revealed that he learned he was relieved of duty via social media. Mancino's appointment as the National Guard's adjutant general was not due to the vaccination policy, a spokesman for Stitt revealed.
Spokesperson Carly Atchison said that the Republican governor has long been looking for change for several months. He added that Thompson had submitted his resignation in October that would take effect in January. On the other hand, Thompson said that the governor asked him to resign in October but that they had agreed he would remain in power until next year, Yahoo News reported.
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