The U.S. Army announced Wednesday that it will immediately start discharging, or “separating,” soldiers who refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Under a directive (pdf) issued by the Army, the order applies to regular soldiers, active-duty Army reservists, and Army cadets unless they have an exemption or a pending exemption.
“Army readiness depends on soldiers who are prepared to train, deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said in a statement. “Unvaccinated soldiers present risk to the force and jeopardize readiness.”