Navy expresses regret to staff ‘wrongly dismissed’ due to COVID vaccine requirement

Navy Issues Apology to Unjustly Discharged Service Members

On Friday, the Department of the Navy issued a letter of apology to former service members who were “unjustly discharged” due to the COVID-19 vaccination mandate implemented during the Biden administration.

Vice Secretary of the Navy Hung Kao emphasized the Navy’s commitment to “addressing past mistakes” and is eager to reintegrate veterans who lost their positions amid the pandemic. “To everyone affected, we apologize. We indeed failed you. I assure you, we will prevent this from occurring again. We’re looking forward to your return and correcting your records,” Hung stated in a video posted on X.

Kao, who oversees about a million personnel, acknowledged the significant impact that the vaccination mandate had on those who were discharged.

“We are making amends, starting with this formal letter of apology,” he added.

In January, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14184, which instructed federal agencies to identify and assist military members affected by previous vaccination mandates by facilitating their reinstatement or restoring certain benefits.

This order applies to former members across all branches—Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, Space Force, and Coast Guard—who were discharged solely for refusing the COVID vaccine.

The vaccination requirement was mandated by the previous defense secretary in 2021 but was reversed in 2023. Trump’s executive order acknowledged that the military had failed to appropriately grant exemptions for those individuals who declined the vaccine, leading to wrongful discharges regardless of their service history.

The Department of the Army has instructed military department leaders to reach out to former service members regarding possible reinstatement and corrective actions on their discharge records.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, over 8,000 military personnel were quarantined following the vaccination directive under the Biden administration. Secretary of the Army Pete Hegseth remarked, “It’s unacceptable that many veterans, who stood by their personal beliefs, faced separation when they should have received honorable discharges instead.” He added that while some have sought relief from military review boards, the responsibility lies with the department to rectify these issues.

Hegseth has initiated a thorough review of personnel records to identify individuals wrongfully discharged for refusing the vaccine and to assist with suitable discharge upgrades.