Update, 5:15 p.m.: Rep. Mark Green’s sent the following statement to Clarksville Now, in response to the Pentagon’s memo today:

“Wearing our country’s uniform does not mean our servicemembers sign away the right to make personal medical decisions. An individual’s health care decisions should never be mandated by the federal government. Secretary Austin’s recommendation requiring all active-duty servicemembers receive the COVID vaccine is an affront to the rule of law and the right to privacy.

“No one is above the law, not even the Secretary of Defense. And in this case, the law is clear. Unless the vaccine goes through the entire Food and Drug Administration’s approval process, it cannot be required for our troops. If President Biden wants to bypass his own administration and approve the vaccine, that is his decision. Absent this or full approval from the FDA, however, the vaccine cannot be required.”

Previously: 

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – All members of the U.S. military will have to get the COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 15, according to a memo sent out by the Pentagon today. That deadline could be pushed up if the vaccine receives full FDA approval first or infection rates continue to rise.

“I will seek the president’ s approval to make the vaccines mandatory no later than mid-September, or immediately upon the U.S. Food and Drug Administration licensure, whichever comes first,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says in the memo to troops.

The memo states that FDA approval is expected to come in early September, possibly less than two weeks before the mandate would take effect. Austin states that the military should begin taking steps now to get ready for the mandate, and troops should not wait until the last minute to get their shots.

Anticipating the order, Rep. Mark Green of Clarksville, a physician and combat veteran, led colleagues on Friday in sending a letter to Austin to object.

The members write in the letter, “The law of the United States is clear. Mandatory vaccination is illegal for military personnel prior to complete approval (Doe v. Rumsfeld, 341 F. Supp. 2d 1 – D.D.C. 2004). This has not occurred and could be another several months away.”

Green (R-TN) said that as a physician, he believes the vaccines to be safe and effective. However, servicemembers may not be forced to take any vaccines authorized under an Emergency Use Authorization.

The members continued, “As long as the vaccine is authorized under an Emergency Use Authorization, the Department of Defense does not have the authority to implement such an order. Servicemembers who do not wish to receive the vaccine cannot be required until the approval process is completed. Any action to require it is illegal. The Secretary of Defense is not above the law. The courts concurred.”

The full letter from the congressmen can be accessed here.

“To defend this nation, we need a healthy and ready force,” Austin said in his letter to the troops. “I strongly encourage all DoD military and civilian personnel – as well as contractor personnel – to get vaccinated now and for military service members to not wait for the mandate.

“All FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines are safe and highly effective. They will protect you and your family. They will protect your unit, your ship, and your co-workers. And they will ensure we remain the most lethal and ready force in the world.”

The full letter from Austin can be found here.

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