Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Inhofe
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent a letter yesterday to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, calling on him to suspend the vaccine mandate and answer specific questions about the readiness impacts of the Biden administration’s mandate.
“At a time when our adversaries continue to increase their quantitative and qualitative advantage against our forces, we should seek to ensure that no policy, even unintentionally, hinders military readiness. Most troublesome is the lack of clarity and consistency among the services as they look to implement the administration’s hasty vaccination mandate. Combined with the uncertainty and burden the vaccination mandate places on industry, this administration will do more damage to the nation’s security than any external threat,” Inhofe wrote.
“As highlighted in a recent Washington Post article, tens of thousands of service members have yet to comply with the vaccination order. The ambiguity of the various policies combined with unrealistic timelines and processes for granting exemptions will ensure that tens of thousands of personnel are unable to comply. Responses to inquiries from the Senate Armed Services Committee to the Department as to the impacts on readiness, consequences for failure to comply with the mandate and anticipated manning challenges have been unsatisfactory.”
The full letter is available here and pasted below.
October 18, 2021
The Honorable Lloyd J. Austin III
Secretary of Defense
U.S. Department of Defense
Washington, DC 20318-9999
Dear Secretary Austin,
I write today to express my grave concerns about this administration’s imposition of COVID vaccine mandates on the uniformed and civilian workforces, at the expense of readiness and morale. This haphazardly implemented and politically motivated vaccine mandate must be immediately suspended or risk irrevocable damage to our national security reminiscent of sequestration.
At a time when our adversaries continue to increase their quantitative and qualitative advantage against our forces, we should seek to ensure that no policy, even unintentionally, hinders military readiness. Most troublesome is the lack of clarity and consistency among the services as they look to implement the administration’s hasty vaccination mandate. Combined with the uncertainty and burden the vaccination mandate places on industry, this administration will do more damage to the nation’s security than any external threat.
As highlighted in a recent Washington Post article, tens of thousands of service members have yet to comply with the vaccination order. The ambiguity of the various policies combined with unrealistic timelines and processes for granting exemptions will ensure that tens of thousands of personnel are unable to comply. Responses to inquiries from the Senate Armed Services Committee to the Department as to the impacts on readiness, consequences for failure to comply with the mandate and anticipated manning challenges have been unsatisfactory.
The lack of strategic foresight in the implementation of the COVID vaccination mandate is inexcusable. Plainly stated, no service member, Department of Defense civilian or contractor supporting the Department should be dismissed due to failure to comply with the mandate until the ramifications of mass dismissal are known. With an ever shrinking candidate pool, hastily executed policies such as this work to further diminish the ability of the Department to tap into the finite resource of people critical to national security. The mass attrition of personnel and further shirking of the defense industrial base at this time would only serve to hinder our ability to project power and compete against near-peer adversaries.
Accordingly, in your role as Secretary of Defense, and in conjunction with the Service Secretaries and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the Combatant Commanders, I ask that you provide me the following data and information pertaining to the armed forces, broken down by each Military Service and Combatant Command, and including the Joint Staff:
· The total cost associated with discharging the service members, civilian personnel and contractors who fail to comply with the vaccination mandate according to the current prescribed deadlines. Additionally, the cost associated with replacing these vacancies with new hires and any planning conducted for recruitment or retention strategies to offset anticipated discharges, particularly in mission-critical areas.
· The anticipated impacts to mission readiness, i.e. loss in flight training hours, loss in aircraft and shipyard repair maintenance hours, etc. if the Department pursues the discharging of service members, civilian personnel and contractors who fail to comply with the vaccination mandate according to the current specified deadlines.
· The anticipated cost to contractors caused by failure to comply with the vaccination mandate and expected requests for equitable adjustment. Additionally, an analysis of the long term effects on the defense industrial base, particularly suppliers and subcontractors, resulting from loss of key workforce personnel.
· An analysis of the potential impacts to the workforce both uniformed and civilian if the Department were to retain those who choose not to receive the COVID vaccination. Additionally, an independent Department of Defense analysis of the potential merits of earned immunity and an assessment of the risk posed to those immunized with one of the FDA approved vaccines.
· The processes for service members, civilian personnel and contractors seeking vaccination exemptions and the criteria by which individual cases are being adjudicated. Additionally, the process by which an individual may pursue an appeal to the initial ruling.
· An analysis of the of service members, civilian personnel and contractors on track to comply with the vaccination mandate deadlines as currently prescribed. Additionally, a study to determine the potential risk posed to those vaccinated and unvaccinated should the Department forgo discharging those who elect not comply with the mandate.
· A classified briefing for Senate Armed Services Committee members on the anticipated ability of the Department to execute operational plans within a year of the Department’s dismissal of unvaccinated personnel, and any tabletop exercises or analysis planned to study such negative operational consequences.
Although the actual costs associated with each of these undertakings is certainly cause for concern, the opportunity cost they have and continue to visit on the force, its readiness, and morale is nothing short of devastating—particularly in light of current threats.
I look forwarding to receiving your written response and your views on these important matters not later than November 1, 2021.
Sincerely,
James M. Inhofe
Ranking Member