{"id":74093,"date":"2022-12-07T22:25:44","date_gmt":"2022-12-07T22:25:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/12\/07\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T14:19:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T14:19:52","slug":"pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/12\/07\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon worries repealing COVID vaccine mandate will affect readiness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/12\/04\/keep-covid-19-military-vaccine-mandate-defense-secretary-says\/\" target=\"_blank\">Pentagon leaders<\/a> on Wednesday voiced continued support for their decision to mandate the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\">COVID-19<\/a> vaccine for service members in the face of a proposed law that would force the Defense Department to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/12\/07\/military-covid-19-vaccine-mandate-repealed-in-defense-bill-compromise\/\" target=\"_blank\">repeal the policy.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During a briefing with reporters, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said vaccination is still a military readiness issue, and said a repeal could be harmful to the health of the armed forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat is important to the readiness of the force is getting the vaccine,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo, yes, it would impact the readiness of the force. You\u2019re more prone to getting COVID-19 \u2026 and we certainly know that the vaccine will save your life.\u201d<\/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\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/12\/07\/military-covid-19-vaccine-mandate-repealed-in-defense-bill-compromise\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\"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=\"188\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/vaccine.jpg_edf8c4.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\">Military COVID-19 vaccine mandate repealed in defense bill compromise<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The $858 billion measure also includes a 4.6% pay raise for troops next year and plans to backfill munition stockpiles depleted by the war in Ukraine.<\/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\">One day after congressional leaders approved a repeal of the military\u2019s COVID-19 vaccine mandate in their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/12\/07\/military-covid-19-vaccine-mandate-repealed-in-defense-bill-compromise\/\" target=\"_blank\">final draft of the annual defense authorization bill<\/a>, officials across the executive branch bashed Republicans for jeopardizing the health and welfare of service members by forcing the move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the administration\u2019s main foe in the fight appears to be House Democratic leaders, who are labeling the policy outdated and inconsistent and said they are comfortable with ending it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs we are here in December 2022, does that August 2021 [vaccine] policy still make sense?\u201d House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., said during a speech before the House Rules Committee defending the authorization bill. \u201cWe don\u2019t believe that it is, and I don\u2019t believe that it is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The rift among Democratic Party leaders comes just days after the White House announced a new six-week push to get more Americans inoculated with the latest bivalent COVID-19 vaccine, which they say will help curb serious side effects from the lingering virus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the 33 months since the pandemic began in America, more than 98 million cases of the virus have been recorded, and more than 1 million individuals have died from complications related to the virus, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those totals include 451,600 cases among military members and 96 deaths. Administration officials ordered all troops to be vaccinated starting in fall 2021, calling it an issue of military readiness and public safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The policy was immediately controversial among conservative lawmakers, who decried the lack of flexible exemptions for individuals with religious or other objections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Opponents of the vaccine have argued that because the vaccine is not overwhelmingly effective at preventing COVID-19 infection, and President Joe Biden has said publicly that the pandemic is \u201cover,\u201d there is no longer a need to mandate vaccination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They also question the medical need for widespread vaccinations against COVID-19, noting that the virus generally produced its worst symptoms in the elderly and infirm, two groups that are not typically in the active-duty military force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Service members are required to stay up-to-date on more than a dozen vaccinations, including those that haven\u2019t seen a major outbreak in decades. The annual flu vaccination is required, for example, despite influenza posing the biggest threat to children and the elderly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than 8,000 active-duty individuals have been dismissed for vaccine refusal so far this year. Although that total is a small fraction of the full force, critics have charged that under the current strained recruiting environment, such dismissals are foolish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now it appears that some Democratic leaders in Congress \u2014 but not all \u2014 agree with that charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe policy requiring that service members be vaccinated was absolutely the right policy,\u201d Smith said on Wednesday. \u201cIt saved lives, and it made sure our force was as ready as it possibly could be in the face of the pandemic. \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBut right now the policy says if you got that first round of shots [months or years ago], then you\u2019re good. And If you didn\u2019t, you\u2019re not. So, I think it\u2019s time to update the policy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smith\u2019s support (which carries with it the backing of senior Democratic leaders in the chamber) comes after House and Senate Republicans in recent days had vowed to block the defense authorization bill \u2014 seen as must-pass policy annually \u2014 if a vaccine mandate repeal was left out of the measure.<\/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\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/11\/30\/gop-senators-threaten-to-block-ndaa-over-covid-19-vaccine-mandate\/\" 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=\"190\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6565710.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\">GOP senators threaten to block NDAA over COVID-19 vaccine mandate<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">They want troops dismissed for refusing the vaccine to get their jobs back and be awarded back pay.<\/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\">But Senate Democrats appeared ready to fight for the policy up until last weekend, when Smith said publicly that changes to the policy were up for debate in negotiations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the compromise legislation was announced Tuesday night, it contained language requiring the Defense Department to \u201crescind the mandate that members of the Armed Forces be vaccinated against COVID-19\u2033 within 30 days of the bill\u2019s passage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe continue to believe that repealing the vaccine mandate is a mistake,\u201d White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Wednesday morning. \u201cMaking sure our troops are ready to defend this country and prepared to do so remains the president\u2019s priority, and the vaccine requirement for COVID does just that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBut Republicans in Congress have obviously decided that they\u2019d rather fight against the health and well-being of those troops, instead of protecting them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republican leaders celebrated the inclusion of the repeal amid the Democratic infighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement, House minority leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., called the move \u201ca victory for our military and for common sense.\u201d Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., said the move \u201ctakes care of our troops\u201d and will help with future recruiting efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, when asked if he was frustrated by the vaccine language in the authorization bill, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed, D-R.I., said simply \u201cthat\u2019s the nature of a compromise bill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He noted that nearly 97% of the armed forces are fully vaccinated now, and most took the shots without complaint. He also noted that the language in the bill \u201crequires the end of the mandate, but it doesn\u2019t restrict the Defense Department going forward,\u201d suggesting that troops could face different COVID-19 vaccine requirements in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">House and Senate Democrats omitted from the compromise bill demands from Republican lawmakers that all troops who were dismissed under the vaccine policy be reinstated with back pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., the expected incoming chairman of the House Armed services Committee, said he plans to revisit that issue next year. Smith said he remains firmly against it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe service members who refused to [get vaccinated] and were discharged from service, that\u2019s the way it has to work,\u201d he said. \u201cOrders are not optional in the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd if Congress expresses the opinion that they are, I cannot imagine anything that would more significantly undermine the good order and discipline of our military.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The House is expected to pass the authorization bill by the end of the week, with the Senate taking up the measure soon after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Administration officials would not say whether the vaccinate mandate repeal was onerous enough to warrant a veto of the entire defense bill. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday that officials \u201cwould let the process happen\u201d on Capitol Hill and make a veto decision when the bill arrives for the president\u2019s signature.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democratic House leaders now support the change, which has been a priority for congressional Republicans for months.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":107102,"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":[61,101,23,89,12,26,62],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3222,3308],"class_list":["post-74093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coronavirus","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"MUDJY4ABCRES7CFZEC26DYWL4Y","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/12\/07\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\/","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>Pentagon worries repealing COVID vaccine mandate will affect readiness - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Democratic House leaders now support the change, which has been a priority for congressional Republicans for months.\" \/>\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=\"Pentagon worries repealing COVID vaccine mandate will affect readiness\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Democratic House leaders now support the change, which has been a priority for congressional Republicans for months.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/12\/07\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-12-07T22:25:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T14:19:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Leo Shane III, Meghann Myers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Leo Shane III, Meghann Myers\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 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\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/07\\\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/07\\\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\\\/\"\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\": \"Pentagon worries repealing COVID vaccine mandate will affect readiness\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2022-12-07T22:25:44+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T14:19:52+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/07\\\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 1164,\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\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/07\\\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP22323032278083.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Coronavirus | COVID-19 Updates\",\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Middle Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Pentagon &amp; Congress\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/07\\\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/07\\\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/07\\\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Pentagon worries repealing COVID vaccine mandate will affect readiness - Navy Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/07\\\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/07\\\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP22323032278083.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2022-12-07T22:25:44+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T14:19:52+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Democratic House leaders now support the change, which has been a priority for congressional Republicans for months.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/07\\\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/07\\\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/07\\\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP22323032278083.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP22323032278083.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/07\\\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"News\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"news\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Pentagon &amp; Congress\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"pentagon-congress\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Pentagon worries repealing COVID vaccine mandate will affect readiness\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Navy Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Pentagon worries repealing COVID vaccine mandate will affect readiness - Navy Times","description":"Democratic House leaders now support the change, which has been a priority for congressional Republicans for months.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Pentagon worries repealing COVID vaccine mandate will affect readiness","og_description":"Democratic House leaders now support the change, which has been a priority for congressional Republicans for months.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/12\/07\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\/","og_site_name":"Navy Times","article_published_time":"2022-12-07T22:25:44+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T14:19:52+00:00","author":"Leo Shane III, Meghann Myers","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Leo Shane III, Meghann Myers","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/12\/07\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/12\/07\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Pentagon worries repealing COVID vaccine mandate will affect readiness","datePublished":"2022-12-07T22:25:44+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T14:19:52+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/12\/07\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\/"},"wordCount":1164,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/12\/07\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22323032278083.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Coronavirus | COVID-19 Updates","Daily News Roundup","Home","Middle Column","News","Newsletters","Pentagon &amp; Congress"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/12\/07\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/12\/07\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/12\/07\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\/","name":"Pentagon worries repealing COVID vaccine mandate will affect readiness - Navy Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/12\/07\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/12\/07\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22323032278083.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2022-12-07T22:25:44+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T14:19:52+00:00","description":"Democratic House leaders now support the change, which has been a priority for congressional Republicans for months.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/12\/07\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/12\/07\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/12\/07\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22323032278083.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22323032278083.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/12\/07\/pentagon-worries-repealing-covid-vaccine-mandate-will-affect-readiness\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/","ad_zone":"news"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Pentagon &amp; Congress","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/","ad_zone":"pentagon-congress"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Pentagon worries repealing COVID vaccine mandate will affect readiness"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","name":"Navy Times","description":"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization","name":"Navy Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","caption":"Navy Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Navy Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22323032278083.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74093","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74093"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74093\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98757,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74093\/revisions\/98757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74093"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=74093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}