US Navy Lifts COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Sailor Deployment

Crew members of the USS Sioux City, a Freedom-class of littoral combat ship, gather before the ship's commissioning ceremony at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., on Nov. 17, 2018. AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File

The U.S. Navy will no longer consider the COVID-19 vaccination status of sailors when making decisions about their deployment, according to newly updated Navy guidance published this week.

The updated guidance comes shortly after Congress removed the military’s vaccine requirement as part of the $858 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2023.