Pentagon to require mandatory COVID vaccines by mid-September

The Pentagon will require mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for all U.S. military service members.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will request approval for the COVID-19 vaccine to become mandatory for all U.S. military service members by mid-September, according to a memo he sent to all Defense Department employees. "I want you to know that I will seek the President's approval to make the vaccines mandatory no later than mid-September, or immediately upon the U.S. Food and Drug Agency (FDA) licensure, whichever comes first," Austin wrote in the memo. A U.S. official initially confirmed Austin's decision to ABC News before it was later made public in a written message to all U.S. military service members. "By way of expectation, public reporting suggests the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine could achieve full FDA licensure early next month. The intervening few weeks will be spent preparing for this transition," Austin wrote.