Pentagon Still Has a ‘Requirement to Vaccinate’ Troops After Biden Calls Pandemic ‘Over’

A soldier watches another soldier receive his COVID-19 vaccination from Army Preventive Medical Services in Fort Knox, Ky., on Sept. 9, 2021. Jon Cherry/Getty Images

The Pentagon confirmed Tuesday it is sticking to its COVID-19 vaccine mandate days after President Joe Biden proclaimed the “pandemic is over.”

Since last year, the Department of Defense (DOD) has mandated that all armed service members get the vaccine. While there are medical and religious exemptions to the shot, they are rarely given out, triggering lawsuits and even a warning from the DOD inspector general.