Sec. Hegseth Fixes the Unfair, Rescinded Mandate Forced on Warfighters

Secretary Hegseth promised to take back the military personnel who resigned rather than be forced to take an experimental drug for COVID-19. Many couldn’t sign the form because it required them to lie. It stated: “My decision to separate was made freely and without coercion.”

The Department of Defense immediately stated that they’re “reviewing” the matter. They also scrubbed the records of punishments for all troops who were discharged with less-than-honorable designations.

The Changes

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that additional changes have been made.

Transscript

We’re back with more changes at DOD, and this time, an update on COVID-19 and reinstatement. We all know that the previous administration issued unlawful orders on mandatory vaccines—on an experimental vaccine, COVID-19. You know it, we know it.

We’re doing everything we can, as quickly as we can, to reinstate those who were affected by that policy. It hasn’t been perfect, and we know that. We’re having an ongoing conversation with you to get it right, working with the White House as well.

We want anyone impacted by that vaccine mandate back into the military—people of conscience, warriors of conscience—back in our formations. We hear you, and we’re working to get updated guidance as quickly as possible. So here’s where we are on more guidance we’re providing right now.

In January, the President issued his executive order. We jumped right on it. In February, I directed the Department to take corrective action regarding this specific Department’s unfair, overbroad, and unnecessary COVID vaccine mandate. We apologize. Apologized then, apologize now for how it was done, and we want to fix it.

So today, I’m signing a memorandum that directs the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to provide additional guidance to the boards that are reviewing these cases—concerning the review of requests from service members and former service members adversely impacted by the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The guidance also will facilitate the removal of adverse actions on service members solely for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine, including discharge upgrades and less-than-fully-honorable discharges for individuals separated for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine. We’re trying to scrub all that, clean all that up.

We’ll also facilitate appropriate remedies for service members who have suffered additional career setbacks resulting from the previous administration’s unlawful vaccine mandate. That original EO addresses the unfair, since-rescinded COVID-19 vaccine mandate imposed on warfighters during the previous administration.

We know how bad it was. You know how bad it was. And through this guidance—which I encourage you to check out directly, because it’s an update going even further than what we’ve done in the past—this memo is providing supplemental remedies for service members and veterans negatively impacted by the DOD’s defunct COVID-19 disease vaccine mandate.

And we welcome you all back as quickly as possible.

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