The United States Department of Defense (DOD) said they will respond “appropriately” to a decision this week by the Oklahoma National Guard to not enforce the Department’s requirement for service members to be vaccinated against the Wuhan coronavirus.
Last week, the newly-appointed commander of the Oklahoma National Guard, Army Brig. Gen. Thomas Mancino, wrote in a memo obtained by The Oklahoman that he will not enforce the vaccine mandate for troops. As we covered, in August, the Pentagon announced that the COVID-19 vaccine would be mandatory for all service members.
Mancino’s memo reportedly states that “no negative administrative legal action will be taken” against guard members who refuse to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
A spokesman for the Oklahoma National Guard, Lt. Col. Geoff Legler, told The Oklahoman that the memo allows guard members to serve without fear of being punished for not having the vaccine.
"The clarified policy on COVID vaccinations for Oklahoma Army and Air National Guardsmen reflects the governor's ability to assert his command authority over the men and women of the Oklahoma National Guard while they are within the state's borders," Legler said to the newspaper. "The clarification will allow our unvaccinated Guardsmen to continue to serve in Oklahoma without any negative repercussion, but it does not provide any protection should they need to attend any military school or training activity run by an active duty component or the Department of Defense."
In a statement to CNN, the Pentagon said that it was “aware” of the memo issued by Mancino and that they would respond “appropriately.”
"We are aware of the memo issued by the Oklahoma Adjutant General regarding COVID vaccination for Guardsmen and the governor's letter requesting exemption. We will respond to the governor appropriately," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in the statement to CNN. "That said, Secretary (Lloyd) Austin believes that a vaccinated force is a more ready force. That is why he has ordered mandatory vaccines for the total force, and that includes our National Guard, who contribute significantly to national missions at home and abroad."
Last week, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, announced Mancino as the state’s new adjutant general. He served as assistant adjutant general for the Oklahoma National Guard since September 2019 and has been a member of the National Guard for 35 years.
“I am pleased to promote General Mancino to this new role,” Gov. Stitt said in a statement. “He is a steady leader, a strategic thinker, an effective communicator and he is the perfect choice to lead the Oklahoma National Guard.”
Furthermore, Stitt sent a letter to Austin earlier this month requesting an exemption for National Guard troops from the COVID-19 vaccine.
“It is very apparent that Oklahoma must always have its full contingent of national guardsmen on call to answer these challenges when they come. We estimate that over 800 Oklahoma guardsmen have not and do not plan on receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. This constitutes 10% of Oklahoma’s overall force. It is irresponsible 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,” Stitt wrote in the letter. “This mandate violates the personal freedoms of many Oklahomans, as it asks them to potentially sacrifice their personal beliefs in order to not lose their jobs. All of our national guardsmen take this calling very seriously. These are patriotic citizens who are willing to put their lives on the line to protect others in our communities during times of greatest need.”
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