Pentagon Upset After Oklahoma’s Governor Rejects National Guard Vaccine Mandate

Darian Alexander | Nov 14, 2021




The Pentagon said they would address Oklahoma’s Republican governor after the state’s National Guard indicated it would ignore an arguably unconstitutional Defense Department forcing the troops to take COVID-19 jabs.
The Department reportedly said they were “aware” of a memo issued this week by the Oklahoma National Guard’s recently assumed adjutant general which refused to enforce the Department’s vaccine mandate for its troops. The Pentagon decided in August that US military service members will be forcibly vaccinated against Covid-19.

The news in Oklahoma comes as multiple red states and other groups have filed lawsuits against the Biden regime’s vaccine requirement for federal contractors.
“We are aware of the memo issued by the Oklahoma Adjutant General regarding COVID vaccination for Guardsmen and the governor’s letter requesting exemption. We will respond to the governor appropriately,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement to CNN. “That said, Secretary (Lloyd) Austin believes that a vaccinated force is a more ready force. That is why he has ordered mandatory vaccines for the total force, and that includes our National Guard, who contribute significantly to national missions at home and abroad.”

Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt sent a letter to Sec. Austin earlier this month that requested Covid-19 shot mandates be suspended for members of the state’s National Guard.
“We estimate that over 800 Oklahoma guardsmen have not and do not plan on receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. This constitutes 10% of Oklahoma’s overall force,” Stitt wrote. “It is irresponsible for the federal government to place mandatory vaccine obligations on Oklahoma national guardsmen which could potentially limit the number of individuals that I can call upon to assist the state during an emergency.”
Stitt’s actions continued with the Oklahoma governor relieving former adjutant general Mike Thompson last Wednesday and replacing him with Army Brigade General Thomas Mancino. Mancino, unlike Thompson, has expressed the view that Oklahoma Guard members should be able to make their own choice regarding taking a COVID-19 jab.

Pentagon Secretary Lloyd Austin has continued to express no sympathies for those choosing to not take the experimental injection, instead insisting on forcing his way of life on the American people.
“After careful consultation with medical experts and military leadership, and with the support of the President, I have determined that mandatory vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is necessary to protect the Force and defend the American people,” he said.

Pentagon Upset After Oklahoma's Governor Rejects National Guard Vaccine Mandate - Big League Politics