Air Force discharges 27 over Covid vaccine requirement

The Air Force has discharged 27 active-duty members who refused to get vaccinated against Covid-19 as required, a spokesperson said Monday.

The Pentagon has required vaccinations for members of the military, and the deadline for active-duty Air Force members was Nov. 2. Other branches have different deadlines.

The 27 airmen were discharged for failure to obey a lawful order, and none had exemptions, Air Force spokesperson Ann Stefanek said.

They are the first active-duty Air Force members to be discharged over the Covid-19 vaccine issue, Stefanek said. All were in their first enlistments, meaning they had served less than six years, she said.

The 27 airmen appear to be among the first active-duty service members to have been discharged for refusing to get vaccinated.