Navy apologizes to personnel ‘unfairly terminated’ due to COVID vaccination mandate
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The Department of the Navy issued an apology on Friday to former soldiers who were “improperly removed” from duty because of the mandate to inoculate against COVID during the Biden administration.
Under Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao stressed that the Department of Defense is committed to “righting the wrongs of the past” and welcoming back former service members who were fired during the violence.
“For the sailors and sailors who were unfairly discharged during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have failed,” Hung said in a video posted on X. “We will not allow this to happen again, not on my watch. We are ready for you to come back, and we want to set your records straight.”
Cao, the chief executive of the Department of Operations and General Managers, which oversees nearly 1 million Marines, Marines and civilian workers, acknowledged the mandate’s impact on those it fired.
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Under Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao appeared in a video discussing the Navy’s apology letter to former members. (US Navy)
“We are fixing this thing and it starts with this official letter of apology,” he said.
President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14184 shortly after returning to office last January, directing federal agencies to identify service members affected by the previous vaccination requirement and take steps to reimburse them or restore certain benefits.
The order applies to former members of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard who have been discharged for refusing a COVID-19 vaccine only.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon is reviewing releases linked to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate and is working to correct military records. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The former defense secretary mandated in 2021 that all service members receive the COVID-19 vaccine, a policy that was rescinded in 2023.
“The military is unfairly releasing vaccine refusers, regardless of years of service to our nation, after failing to give many of them the freedom they should have received,” a Trump official said.
The Department of the Army has issued a directive to all secretaries of the military departments to contact former service members with information about possible reinstatement and to correct their discharge records.
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President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January 2025, directing a review of military releases related to the COVID-19 vaccine mission. (Al Drago/Reuters)
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 8,000 service members were separated after the Biden administration’s Department of Defense issued a vaccination mandate.
“It is regrettable that thousands of former Service members who held strongly to their personal and religious beliefs were not only separated, but generally separated (under honorable conditions), rather than issued honorable mentions,” Secretary of the Army Pete Hegseth said in a December memo. “While many have applied and received help from the Department of Defense review boards, I believe the onus is on us to fix this.”
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Under Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao acknowledged the impact of the COVID-19 vaccination mandate on service members who have been discharged from combat. (US Navy)
Hegseth said he has ordered a review of personnel records to identify people who have been voluntarily discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine and to improve appropriate promotions.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Navy for more information.
