During comments at his confirmation hearing Tuesday, Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth vowed to reinstate and reimburse troops dismissed from the ranks for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine years ago.
The surprise statement came amid unrelated questions about Hegseth’s views towards diversity and discrimination policies in the military. Hegseth, who previously served in the National Guard, said past Pentagon policies requiring the vaccine amounted to its own form of religious discrimination.
“Tens of thousands of service members were kicked out because of an experimental vaccine,” Hegseth said. “They will be apologized to. They will be reinstated, reinstituted with pay and rank.”
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Defense Department leaders mandated the COVID-19 vaccine for all troops from August 2021 to January 2023, with limited exceptions for medical issues or religious objections. About 8,000 troops were forced out of the service for refusing the order.
That number represents less than half of 1% of the total military end strength. But in the years since the mandate was lifted, conservative lawmakers have accused Defense Department officials of severely impacting force readiness with the dismissals and called for those individuals to be allowed to return to the ranks.
Pentagon leaders implemented procedures allowing those individuals to reapply for military service after the vaccine mandate was lifted, but only a few dozen pursued the program, according to Defense Department statistics.
If Hegseth’s statement becomes policy, it could prove to be costly for the military. Back pay alone could run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. It’s also unclear whether many of the individuals dismissed years ago would be interested in giving up their new jobs to rejoin the military.
A formal apology by Pentagon leadership, however, would not cost any taxpayer funds. It would likely enrage some advocacy groups who have noted that the troops disobeyed direct orders by refusing the vaccines.
Military members are required to receive more than a dozen vaccines as part of their normal onboarding process, but the COVID-19 vaccine became controversial due to a combination of factors, including the rapid pace of its development at the end of President-elect Donald Trump’s first term in office.
Veterans Affairs officials in November said that COVID-19 remains a significant public health threat even years after the height of the global pandemic, with thousands of cases requiring treatment each month.
Globally, more than 7 million people have died from complications related to the virus, according to the World Health Organization.
Hegseth’s nomination is expected to be voted on by senators in coming days.
