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The U.S. military will move to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for all service members now that the Pfizer vaccine has full approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Pentagon’s top spokesperson announced Monday. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is “prepared to issue updated guidance requiring all service members to be vaccinated,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters. “These efforts ensure the safety of our service members and promote the readiness of our force, not to mention the health and safety of the communities around the country in which we live,” he said. (Mitchell, 8/23)

Service members began receiving the vaccine voluntarily in January. As of Wednesday, about 1.08 million active-duty, Reserve and National Guard troops have taken the shot and nearly 245,000 are partially vaccinated, according to the latest Defense Department data. ... In the Navy, which led the military branches in vaccination rates before the mandate, some commanding officers said they have had immunologists speak to their ship crews to correct misinformation that caused some to reject the shot. “Sailors are open to listen. They are very intelligent, and they want education before they say yes to anything,” said Cmdr. Bralyn Cathey, captain of the guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn in San Diego. (Doornbos, 8/23)

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the steps Monday to make the vaccine mandatory are an effort to ensure the safety of service members. Concerns about the virus are especially acute in the military, where service members live and work closely together in barracks and on ships, increasing the risks of rapid spreading. Any large virus outbreak in the military could affect America’s ability to defend itself in any security crisis. In a message to the force earlier this month, Gen. Mark Milley said medical professionals recommend the vaccine, and that getting the shot is key to maintaining a military that is prepared to defend the nation. At the bottom of his message, Milley scrawled a handwritten note: “Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is a key force protection and readiness issue.” (Baldor, 8/23)

Now that the Food and Drug Administration has fully approved the Pfizer vaccine, the Pentagon is requiring all active troops to get vaccinated, including the thousands on Ft. Benning. ... “I look at it ‘better safe than sorry’ because I work around people coming from any and everywhere,” said Ft. Benning employee Veronica McCants. “My wife and I -- we’re all for it and, you know, I’m all for the boosters too. If I got to get a booster, I get a booster,” said Columbus resident Robert Head. ... Others say they believe the choice to get the vaccine should be up to each soldier. “I feel like if they don’t want to, they don’t have to,” said Columbus resident Cameila Jones. “It’s their right to choose if they want to get it or not. But I do feel like they should due to the fact because they could be traveling.” (Spraggs, 8/23)