Navy apologizes to personnel ‘unjustly removed’ over COVID vaccine mandate
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The Navy Department on Friday issued a letter of apology to former military personnel who were “unfairly dismissed” over the Covid vaccine mandate during the Biden administration.
Undersecretary of the Navy Hung Cao emphasized that the War Department is determined to “right the wrongs of the past” and welcome back veterans who were dismissed during the pandemic.
“Sailors and Marines who were unfairly discharged during COVID, we failed you,” Hung said in a video posted on X. “We will never let this happen again, not on my watch. We are ready for you to return and want to set your records straight.”
Cao, chief operating and chief administrative officer of the Department of the Navy, which oversees nearly one million Navy, Marine Corps and civilian personnel, acknowledged the impact of his tenure on those forced out of service.
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Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao appeared in a video discussing the Navy’s apology letter to veterans. (US Navy)
“We are righting this wrong, and it starts with a formal 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 old vaccine mandate and take steps to reinstate them or restore certain benefits.
The order applies only to former Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Space Force and Coast Guard members who were discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.
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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon is reviewing discharges made in connection with the Covid-19 vaccine order and is working to correct military records. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The former secretary of defense mandated that all service members receive the COVID-19 vaccine in 2021, a policy that was rescinded in 2023.
Trump’s executive order states, “The military has unjustly discharged many of those who refuse the vaccine by not granting them the exemptions they should have received, regardless of the length of their service to our nation.”
The War Department issued guidance to all secretaries of military departments to contact former service members to inform them of possible reinstatements and to correct discharge records.
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President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January 2025 directing a review of military discharges tied to the Covid-19 vaccine mandate. (Al Drago/Reuters)
More than 8,000 troops left after the Biden administration issued the Department of Defense vaccine mandate, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“It is unconscionable that thousands of former Army members who remain true to their personal and religious beliefs are not only leaving, but are leaving with general (under honorable conditions) rather than honorable discharge designations,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said in a December memo. “While many people have approached our Military Department review boards and received assistance, I believe the onus is on us to fix this.”
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Undersecretary of the Navy Hung Cao acknowledged the impact of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate on soldiers discharged from the military. (US Navy)
Hegseth said he is directing a proactive review of personnel records to identify individuals who were involuntarily discharged simply for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine and to facilitate appropriate discharge improvements.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Navy for additional information.
