"Fox & Friends" host Brian Kilmeade confronted John Kirby, the coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council, about the negative effects the U.S. military's COVID-19 vaccination policy is having on recruiting and retention.
Kilmeade noted almost 20,000 service members have been forced out of the various military branches for not wanting to get a shot that does not prevent COVID-19 infection.
"You, as an admiral who knows what it takes and the sacrifice you make to join the military, to get kicked out like this, can you possibly talk some sense into this White House to reverse policy?" asked Kilmeade.
"The vaccines are a valid military requirement. You want your troops to be ready part of being ready is being healthy and not having the ability to infect your unit and make their unit readiness any worse than it is," Kirby replied.
Kirby admitted during the interview that while he is vaccinated and double boosted, he is recovering at home after being infected with COVID-19.
"Every one of your branches can’t recruit their threshold yet you are kicking out good men and women. How do you explain that?" Kilmeade asked.
"Well, look, Brian, first of all the Navy did make their recruiting goals for enlisted personnel this year. Yes, it’s a tough recruiting environment. We recognize that but it’s also you have a requirement to be healthy to be able to serve and this is a valid military requirement," Kirby said, adding that while the vaccine does not prevent infection, it makes the symptoms less severe.
"We would rather not lose anybody, of course, to the vaccine. We would rather not lose anybody from a retention perspective to have them leave the service earlier than they wanted or we wanted them to. But it’s a valid military requirement," Kirby reiterated.