“The secretary of defense has the authority to require these vaccines for all members of the force, including the National Guard, as I said, even in a Title 32 status,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in November. In Title 32 status, which includes monthly drills, the federal government pays for National Guard activities but the state governor remains at the top of the chain of command. “When (guardsmen are) called up for their monthly training, they’re still federally funded,” Kirby continued. “So (the secretary) has those authorities. And he believes and this is a larger point that vaccinated forces are a more ready force.”

While Republican governors seek to be exempted from the vaccination mandate or say they’ll defy it on behalf of their states’ National Guard troops, members of the active-duty military have overwhelmingly complied with the requirement. The Air Force was the first to begin discharging service members who refused to get vaccinated, and discharged just 27 people, having reached a 97% vaccination rate. There may ultimately be more people discharged after the Air Force finishes processing exemption requests, but the percentage will remain very low.

Other branches of the military haven’t yet begun discharging people who refuse, but the Army has announced a 98% overall vaccination rate, including 96% of active-duty soldiers. 

Austin has emphasized that vaccination is a military readiness issue, including for National Guard troops. But some members of the National Guard are getting mixed messages, thanks to their governors rushing to politicize the issue.