US Army starts kicking out COVID-19 vaccine refusers after over 3,000 soldiers got in trouble for not getting the shots

• The US Army will begin kicking out soldiers who refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine, the service announced Wednesday.
• Over 3,000 soldiers have received reprimands for refusing the vaccine, and six Army leaders have been relieved of command. 
• The Army follows in the footsteps of other service branches who have separated service members for not adhering to the Pentagon's vaccine mandate. 

The US Army will begin separating soldiers who refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine in accordance with a new directive announced by Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth on Wednesday. 

The order to commanders to begin involuntary separation of unvaccinated soldiers applies to all regular Army soldiers, as well as cadets and active-duty reservists, who do not have an accepted or pending exemption request, according to an Army statement.

The Army has already issued 3,073 general officer written reprimands for vaccine refusers and relieved six Army leaders of command, including two battalion commanders; however, no soldier had been discharged from the Army for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine as of January 26. 

The number of soldiers who remain unvaccinated is limited compared to the larger force. Army officials said that 98% of the force has had at least one dose of the vaccine. 

"Army readiness depends on soldiers who are prepared to train, deploy, fight and win our nation's wars," Wormuth said. "Unvaccinated soldiers present risk to the force and jeopardize readiness."

Other uniformed service branches, including the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, have already begun to issue separation orders for service members who have refused the vaccine.

The Marines, for instance, have removed more troops than other branches. Around 400 Marines have been kicked out since they started separation proceedings for vaccine refusers in December. 

Soldiers who are kicked out of the Army for refusing the vaccine will receive a general characterization of service under honorable conditions.

The move to separate unvaccinated soldiers and other troops comes months after Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin first issued guidance in August to the Department of Defense requiring that service members be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

According to the latest Pentagon data, the virus has infected hundreds of thousands of troops and claimed the lives of 92 military personnel since the start of the pandemic.