Honolulu, HAWAII — The U.S. Army is preparing to make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for all personnel as early as September should the U.S. Food and Drug Administration grant full approval by then.

The Army Times obtained portions of an order sent by Department of the Army Headquarters to the service’s commands.

“Commanders will continue COVID-19 vaccination operations and prepare for a directive to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for service members [on or around] 01 September 2021, pending full FDA licensure,” the order said. “Commands will be prepared to provide a backbrief on servicemember vaccination status and way ahead for completion once the vaccine is mandated.”

The U.S. military mandates vaccines for most common diseases as well as diseases that troops may experience on deployments. But because the FDA authorized the COVID-19 vaccines on an emergency basis, the military has kept getting a jab voluntary up to this point.

Across the force about 70% of U.S. Army soldiers have had at least one dose according to Pentagon data as of June.

The Navy has the highest vaccination rate of the branches at 79%. The Air Force has a rate of 61% and the Marine Corps has the lowest at 58%.

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