WASHINGTON (AP) — Members of the U.S. military will be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine beginning next month under a plan laid out by the Pentagon Monday and endorsed by President Joe Biden. Top Pentagon leaders said in memos to the troops that the vaccine is a necessary step to maintain military readiness. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the mid-September deadline could be accelerated if the vaccine receives final FDA approval or infection rates continue to rise. Biden told defense officials last week to develop a plan requiring troops to get shots as part of a broader campaign to increase vaccinations in the federal workforce.
Photo: FILE – In this Dec. 16, 2020, file photo, Staff Sgt. Travis Snyder, left, receives the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine given at Madigan Army Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, south of Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
