Navy: Get vaccinated or separated

Active-duty Navy personnel must be vaccinated by Nov. 28 or face separation, according to a Navy administrative message (225/21) released Oct. 13. ACDU Navy service members who do not get fully vaccinated or don't have an approved or pending exemption will be processed for an honorable separation without involuntary separation, the message indicated. Those in the Ready Reserve Navy will need to be fully vaccinated by Dec. 28. In order to meet the deadline, ACDU members must receive their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, if receiving the two-shot Pfizer or Moderna version. For members in the reserve, the deadline for shot #2 is Dec. 14. Those who are separated for refusing the vaccine will be discharged with no lower than a general discharge under honorable conditions, according to the Navy. Officers that refuse will have promotions delayed. Since the vaccination is mandatory, service members who refuse the vaccine can be temporarily reassigned. Navy personnel can request an exemption for medical or religious reasons. As of Oct. 13, 94 percent of ACDU sailors have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with 99 percent having received the first dose. Of the total force, 89 percent is completely vaccinated, while 94 percent have received the first shot.`(Source: USNI News 10/14/21) New Navy Guidance Will Discharge Sailors Refusing COVID-19 Vaccination Without Exemption - USNI News