Army National Guard troops must get the COVID-19 vaccine by a December deadline, not the previously announced June 2022 date, if they will be mobilized on federal orders, according to a policy memo obtained by Military.com.
Any National Guard soldier mobilized on federal orders after Dec. 15 must be fully vaccinated, according to the memo dated Oct. 7. Previously, the only guidance given to Guard troops was that they had to be vaccinated by June 30, 2022, a deadline that was far later than any other issued by the military services.
By comparison, troops in the Air National Guard and Reserve must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 2. The Army National Guard’s goal is to have at least 90% of the force vaccinated by April 2022, according to Army guidelines obtained by Military.com in September, months after the rest of the military’s deadlines to have the full force vaccinated. More than 92% of the active-duty force has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.