The military branch made the announcement on Wednesday, Feb. 2, saying the Army will "immediately begin separating Soldiers from the service" following a directive issued by Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth.
The order applies to regular Army soldiers, reserve-component soldiers serving on Title 10 active-duty and cadets who do not have an approved or pending vaccine exemption request.
“Army readiness depends on Soldiers who are prepared to train, deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars,” Wormuth said in a statement. “Unvaccinated Soldiers present risk to the force and jeopardize readiness. We will begin involuntary separation proceedings for Soldiers who refuse the vaccine order and are not pending a final decision on an exemption.”
The announcement also said those who are discharged for refusing to get vaccinated won't be eligible for involuntary separation pay "and may be subject to recoupment of any unearned special or incentive pays."
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