Thousands in Texas Guard unvaccinated as mandate challenged

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas officials indicated Tuesday that thousands of National Guard members are refusing COVID-19 vaccines in the latest challenge against a Biden administration order that requires all members of the military to get one.

A lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton comes a week after a federal judge rejected a similar challenge brought by Oklahoma’s governor, amid growing Republican opposition to the vaccination mandate for Guard members.

RELATED

GOP officials back lawsuit demanding more religious exemptions to military vaccine mandate

Forty-seven Republican lawmakers are asking federal courts to step in and override Pentagon decisions on vaccine exemptions.

By Leo Shane III

Texas has more than 20,000 National Guard members, the largest contingent of any state. About 40 percent of its Army National Guard are currently refusing to receive the COVID-19 vaccination “for either religious accommodation needs or otherwise,” according to the lawsuit filed in a federal court in East Texas.

It added that more than 200 airmen in the Texas Guard are also refusing the vaccine.

Other challenges to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s decision to make vaccinations mandatory for all members of the military are playing out elsewhere. On Monday, another federal judge in Texas granted a preliminary injunction stopping the Navy from acting against 35 sailors for refusing on religious grounds to comply with the order.

More In Your Military

This week in Congress: UFO debate flies into Capitol Hill

Defense and veterans hearings on Capitol Hill for the week of May 16, 2022.

Finland to seek NATO entry in ‘new era’ amid Russia’s war

Finland’s president and government have announced that the Nordic country intends to apply for membership in NATO.

4 Air Force cadets may not graduate due to vaccine refusal

They may be required to pay back thousands of dollars in tuition costs, according to Air Force officials.

Airmen take KC-46 tanker on record-setting ride in the name of sleep and fatigue science

The mission aimed to see how airmen and the jet would fare over a full day in flight.

Troops sent to bolster NATO begin turnover as US mulls larger footprint in Europe

“The deployments are one-for-one unit replacements, which will leave our overall force posture in the region — approximately 100,000 — unchanged,” the Pentagon's spokesman said.

In Other News

Okinawa marks 50 years of end to US rule amid protests

Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki has urged Japan’s central government to do more to reduce the U.S. military presence in the southern island group.

Navy effort to cancel LCS mission package triggers new cost breach

A decision to cancel the technically challenged ASW mission package raised the per-unit cost overall for the mission modules program, resulting in a Nunn-McCurdy breach the Navy reported to Congress May 13.

Army launches investigation into Balfour Beatty housing at Fort Gordon

The Army is also looking at what enforcement actions they can take against privatized housing companies.

Javelin missile: Made by the US, wielded by Ukraine, feared by Russia

The American-made FGM-148 Javelin has been making mincemeat of T-72s and T-90s in Ukraine, according to reports.

The Neptune anti-ship missile: The weapon that may have sunk the Russian flagship Moskva

The sinking of the Moskva is arguably Russia's lowest point in its invasion of Ukraine — so far. Here's the weapon that may have killed it.

Load More