Service leaders have a month come up with a plan to vaccinate all troops against COVID-19

Stand by to stand by. The Defense Department has signaled its intention to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for all service members, whether the Federal Drug Administration has fully approved them or not. But no actions have been taken or deadlines yet set.

In his memo to the force delivered Monday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he will, by mid-September, ask President Joe Biden ― who must grant a waiver in lieu of FDA approval ― for permission to add COVID-19 to the list of mandated inoculations. But there are few details available beyond that.