The Pentagon said Monday it will make Covid-19 vaccinations mandatory for all members of the US military by mid-September, amid an alarming surge in infections by the Delta variant.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a memo he would ask President Joe Biden to approve the move in about five weeks, even if none of the current vaccines gains full approval from the US Food and Drug Administration.
But the order could come earlier if the Pfizer vaccine gets approval before then. Officials say they think Pfizer could earn full FDA approval by the beginning of September.
Because the Covid vaccines have only had emergency approval, the US military has until now not forced troops to have them, as it does for other inoculations.
Doing so would have opened the door to legal challenges unless Biden issued a waiver to allow it.
If Pfizer or another vaccine does not get full FDA approval by mid-September, Austin said he would go ahead and seek Biden’s approval.
Biden released a statement “strongly” supporting the decision. “These vaccines save lives,” he said. “Being vaccinated will enable our service members to stay healthy, to better protect their families, and to ensure that our force is ready to operate anywhere in the world.”
