{"id":52630,"date":"2021-11-29T20:23:20","date_gmt":"2021-11-29T20:23:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/11\/29\/austin-denies-oklahoma-bid-for-exception-to-vaccine-mandate\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T08:51:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T08:51:01","slug":"austin-denies-oklahoma-bid-for-exception-to-vaccine-mandate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/11\/29\/austin-denies-oklahoma-bid-for-exception-to-vaccine-mandate\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin denies Oklahoma bid for exception to vaccine mandate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday rejected a request by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt that his state\u2019s National Guard be exempt from a Pentagon requirement that all military members be vaccinated against COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stitt, a Republican, had asked Austin in early November to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2021\/11\/12\/oklahoma-guard-goes-rogue-rejects-covid-vaccine-mandate-after-sudden-change-of-command\/\" target=\"_blank\">suspend the mandate<\/a> for members of the Oklahoma Guard. In his response denying the request, Austin laid out the Pentagon\u2019s rationale for the mandate and noted potential consequences of Stitt\u2019s stated intention to defy the requirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his letter to Stitt, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, Austin left open the question of how the vaccine requirement will be enforced and how far the Pentagon will go to force the issue. He did suggest that Guard troops who refuse the shots could lose their federal status, which could impact their pay and future benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Austin wrote that all members of the Oklahoma Army and Air National Guard, \u201cregardless of duty status,\u201d must follow the directions of Army and Air Force service secretaries for COVID-19 vaccine compliance deadlines. \u201cFailure to do so may lead to a prohibition on the member\u2019s participation in drills and training\u201d conducted under Title 32 of the U.S. Code, \u201cand jeopardize the member\u2019s status in the National Guard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dispute is the first critical test of the military\u2019s authority to require National Guard troops to get the shot, and it could lay the groundwork for legal battles with states that oppose the vaccine requirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So far, Stitt is the only governor to publicly challenge the military mandate.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/11\/17\/other-states-hesitant-to-defy-guards-covid-vaccine-mandate-like-oklahoma\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/vax.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Other states hesitant to defy Guard\u2019s COVID vaccine mandate like Oklahoma<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Several states confirmed that they have not implemented policies similar to Oklahoma&#039;s, nor do they have plans to do so.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his Nov. 2 letter to Austin, Stitt wrote that the mandate \u201cviolates the personal freedoms of many Oklahomans, as it asks them to potentially sacrifice their personal beliefs in order to not lose their jobs.\u201d He said the state needs its Guard members for storms and other weather emergencies, and he asserted that it would be \u201cirresponsible for the federal government to place mandatory vaccine obligations on Oklahoma national guardsmen which could potentially limit the number of individuals that I can call upon to assist the state during an emergency.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his response, Austin wrote: \u201cThe concerns raised in your letter do not negate the need for this important military readiness requirement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under orders from Stitt, the state\u2019s adjutant general, Brig. Gen. Thomas Mancino, put out a memo telling his troops that they aren\u2019t required to get the shot and \u201cno negative administrative or legal action\u201d would be taken against them if they refuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First to be impacted could be members of Oklahoma\u2019s Air Guard, who have until Dec. 2 to get vaccinated under a deadline set by the Air Force. Lingering questions include whether unvaccinated Air Guard members reporting for their monthly drill in December or January will be required to get a shot, or be sent home or reassigned if they refuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stitt\u2019s spokeswoman, Carly Atchison, has said that about 89 percent of the state\u2019s Air Guard \u2014 estimated at more than 2,000 troops \u2014 has been vaccinated. A military official said that the Air Guard rate is expected to reach about 95 percent by the December deadline. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss statistics not yet public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Austin\u2019s decision was widely expected, since the Pentagon has argued for months that the vaccine <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/11\/24\/vaccines-work-pentagon-says-as-surge-in-troop-covid-deaths-comes-to-a-halt\/\" target=\"_blank\">is critical to maintaining a ready force<\/a> that can deploy on a moment\u2019s notice to protect the nation. Defense leaders say that as defense chief, Austin can set medical requirements for the military, including the Guard and Reserve, and that governors don\u2019t have the authority to relieve troops of those requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vaccines against a variety of diseases have long been required for troops, with some getting as many as 17 for deployments around the world. And defense officials warn that service members who refuse to comply will risk losing their National Guard jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, the National Guard presents <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/11\/17\/oklahomas-vaccine-mandate-rejection-wont-apply-to-guardsmen-going-to-drill-weekends-dod-argues\/\" target=\"_blank\">a unique case<\/a>. When Guard troops are on state active duty, such as responding to local events, they report to the governor and are paid by the state. But during their monthly or annual training or when they are responding to larger disasters in the state, they are in what is called Title 32 status, and are controlled by the governor but funded by the federal government.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2021\/11\/19\/oklahoma-guards-vaccine-defiance-part-of-long-history-of-disputes-over-guard-control\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6.jpg_e32bff.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Oklahoma Guard\u2019s vaccine defiance part of long history of disputes over Guard control<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">History suggests there could be a path to compromise&#8230;or to a federal mobilization.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Guard can also be activated for federal duty, including for overseas deployments, under a different status, called Title 10, that treats them like active-duty troops, under federal control and funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Retired Brig. Gen. J. Roy Robinson, president of the National Guard Association of the U.S., said in an interview that is it common for Guard soldiers to have gaps or delays in their annual or routine medical requirements. And he said they often will arrive for monthly drill or their annual two-week training needing various vaccines or medical and dental check-ups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Robinson, however, said he believes that until a service member is activated in Title 10 status, and is under the control of the federal government, the state retains any authority for enforcing requirements, such as the vaccine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Stitt\u2019s office, more than 1,000 Army and Air Force Guard members, or about 13 percent of the state\u2019s 8,200 troops, have indicated they won\u2019t get the vaccine, according to an internal survey. Atchison added that about 40 percent of Oklahoma\u2019s Army Guard members are vaccinated, but they have until next June to get their shots, under a deadline set by the Army.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Austin\u2019s decision was widely expected, since the Pentagon has argued for months that the vaccine is critical to maintaining a ready force that can deploy on a moment\u2019s notice to protect the nation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":31570,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":62,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,23,89,12,26,62],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1354,2484],"class_list":["post-52630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"STSLHESKSVEF7DZDQSWYKQW7BA","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/11\/29\/austin-denies-oklahoma-bid-for-exception-to-vaccine-mandate\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Austin denies Oklahoma bid for exception to vaccine mandate - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Austin\u2019s decision was widely expected, since the Pentagon has argued for months that the vaccine is critical to maintaining a ready force that can deploy on a moment\u2019s notice to protect the nation.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Austin denies Oklahoma bid for exception to vaccine mandate\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Austin\u2019s decision was widely expected, since the Pentagon has argued for months that the vaccine is critical to maintaining a ready force that can deploy on a moment\u2019s notice to protect the nation.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/11\/29\/austin-denies-oklahoma-bid-for-exception-to-vaccine-mandate\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-11-29T20:23:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T08:51:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lolita C. Baldor, The Associated Press, Robert Burns, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lolita C. Baldor, The Associated Press, Robert Burns, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/29\\\/austin-denies-oklahoma-bid-for-exception-to-vaccine-mandate\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/29\\\/austin-denies-oklahoma-bid-for-exception-to-vaccine-mandate\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Austin denies Oklahoma bid for exception to vaccine mandate\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-11-29T20:23:20+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T08:51:01+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/29\\\/austin-denies-oklahoma-bid-for-exception-to-vaccine-mandate\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 917,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/29\\\/austin-denies-oklahoma-bid-for-exception-to-vaccine-mandate\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21321725756637.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Middle Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Pentagon &amp; 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