Wed Dec 15, 2021 – 6:48 pm EST
(LifeSiteNews) – The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has officially begun terminating service members for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccines, discharging 27 airmen on Monday.
In August, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin directedthe secretaries of all military branches to “immediately begin full [COVID] vaccination of all members of the Armed Forces” and “impose ambitious timelines for implementation.” NBC News reported that these 27 Air Force discharges are believed to be the first fallout from that order, as the Air Force had the earliest deadline along with the U.S. Space Force.
Air Force spokesperson Ann Stefanek said the discharges may have had other contributing factors as well, but vaccination refusal was a factor in all of them. Every terminated airman had served for less than six years.
USAF statistics say approximately 97% of active-duty Air and Space Force members have been vaccinated so far, though more than 1,000 have refused and another 4,700 have religious exemption requests pending.
President Joe Biden has dismissed concerns that COVID vaccine mandates will force a significant number of Americans to leave or not apply for critical jobs, but many remain concerned.
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