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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will begin consulting military medical professionals, as well as the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to “determine how and when to make recommendations to President Joe Biden” about adding the COVID-19 vaccines to the full list of requirements for military personnel, the Pentagon announced Thursday evening. ... “The Department of Defense is moving quickly to meet President Biden’s commitment to defeat COVID-19, and that includes being able to ensure every member of our civilian and military workforce is protected,” Jamal Brown, deputy Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement. “In accordance with the guidance the President issued today, all military and civilian DoD personnel will be asked to attest to their vaccination status. Personnel unable or unwilling to do that will be required to wear a mask, physically distance, comply with a regular testing requirement and be subject to official travel restrictions.” (Myers and Altman, 7/29)

In comments at the White House, [President] Biden stopped short of imposing a vaccine mandate right away. But he said he has asked the Defense Department to look into how, and when, the military will add vaccines to protect against COVID-19 to the list of other vaccinations service members must receive. Biden said making the vaccines mandatory is important because troops often serve in places where vaccination rates are low and COVID is prevalent. "Men and women in uniform, who protect this country against grave threats, should be protected as much as possible from getting COVID-19," he said. (Losey, 7/29)

The Pentagon said Thursday it will begin internal talks on making the coronavirus vaccine mandatory for military personnel, after President Biden called on defense leaders to examine "how and when" to mandate the vaccine for U.S. troops.“ Secretary Austin will also begin consulting our medical professionals, as well as the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to determine how and when to make recommendations to the President with respect to adding the COVID-19 vaccines to the full list of requirements for military personnel,” deputy Pentagon press secretary Jamal Brown said in a statement Thursday evening. (Lonas, 7/29)

California National Guardsmen will be ordered to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by early August or face regular testing, Military.com has learned. The mandate comes despite the fact that the Defense Department does not have a vaccination requirement for the rest of the force. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced California will require all state employees to be vaccinated or face a weekly testing. That will include the state’s National Guard, for which Newsom serves as its commander-in-chief, a spokesman for the Guard confirmed Tuesday. (Beynon, 7/28)

Two sailors have died from COVID-19 complications in the last week, the Navy announced Wednesday. Capt. Corby Ropp, 48, died on July 23 at Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina, and Navy Reserve Master-at-Arms First Class Allen Hillman, 47, died on July 26. Both deaths were attributed to complications associated with COVID-19. (Toropin, 7/28)

At least 115 soldiers have tested positive for COVID-19 during a critical National Guard training exercise this month, Military.com has learned. The Arkansas Guard's 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team has been training at the Joint Readiness Training Center, or JRTC, at Fort Polk, Louisiana, since early July, and the training will last for about another week. Soldiers are mostly in the field, and the events are built to mimic austere conditions to prepare for combat abroad. COVID-19 has run rampant, and leaders warn there is little they can do to mitigate risk in the field as they push for soldiers to get vaccinated. (Beynon, 7/28)