Just minutes after returning to office Monday, President Donald Trump vowed to reinstate more than 8,000 troops dismissed from military service for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine, promising them back pay that could cost the federal government hundreds of millions of dollars.
The promise, which Trump said will happen sometime this week, came amid a host of military policy priorities for the new administration outlined in Trump’s inauguration speech. He also pledged to rebuild the military and avoid unnecessary wars during his term in office.
“I will reinstate any service members who were unjustly expelled from our military for objecting to the COVID vaccine mandate with full back pay,” Trump said, drawing applause from a crowd of supporters crowded into the U.S. Capitol for ceremonies. “And I will sign an order to stop our warriors from being subjected to radical political theories and social experiments while on duty.”
Trump’s statement follows similar comments by his defense secretary pick, former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, during a Senate hearing last week.
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Hegseth stated that “tens of thousands of service members were kicked out because of an experimental vaccine” and promised that those individuals would be “apologized to” and brought back into the military.
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 have said the dismissals did not hurt readiness or morale. But they did implement procedures allowing those individuals to reapply for military service after the vaccine mandate was lifted. Only a few dozen pursued the program, according to Defense Department statistics.
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 because of the rapid nature of its development at the end of Trump’s first term in office.
Globally, more than 7 million people have died from complications related to the virus, according to the World Health Organization.
Trump in his speech also promised to “again build the strongest military the world has ever seen” and said that he hopes his legacy in office will be that of a “peacemaker and unifier.”
New White House officials did not immediately say when the executive order regarding military COVID vaccines might be signed. Trump had planned several others for Monday, including ones dealing with immigration.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
