Politics

EXCLUSIVE: US Military Might Lose $4 Billion Due To Pentagon’s COVID Vaccine Mandate, According To Rep. Gaetz

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Henry Rodgers Chief National Correspondent
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The Army stands to lose billions of dollars in training costs alone if it carries through with separating an estimated 62,000 troops who are refusing the vaccine, an analysis from the office of Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz contends.

In the analysis, first obtained by the Daily Caller, Gaetz says the U.S. military might be forced to spend $4 billion to replace soldiers discharged due to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The U.S. Army says it spends between $55,000-$74,000 per recruit for initial training. Meanwhile, recuperating 62,000 soldiers would likely take years.

Gaetz’s analysis also found that firing over 60,000 troops could lead to the loss of thousands of man-years of experience, rank, and grade. Gaetz, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, also noted that 62,000 service members is close to the size of the entire regular Canadian military.

“Nineteen (19) NATO member states have an active component military that are less than the proposed total of service-members to be intentionally untrained or possibly separated from service. The sum of 62,000 US service members is close in number to that of the entire regular Canadian military at 68,000 troops,” Gaetz’s analysis states. (RELATED: Army Might Boot 60,000 Unvaccinated Soldiers Amid Recruiting Crisis)

READ THE ANALYSIS HERE: 

(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — … by Henry Rodgers

“The Pentagon’s absurd mandate for an experimental vaccine puts our national security at risk. Losing tens of thousands of soldiers during a time of recruitment shortages would be a catastrophe,” Gaetz told the Daily Caller. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Johnson Vying To Get Biden Admin To Clear More Military Members Of Vaccine Mandate)

Forty thousand National Guard and 22,000 Army Reserve troops are not currently allowed to participate in military training and federally funded drills and will also not receive pay or retirement credit. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Blackburn To Introduce Legislation Backing National Guard Members Set To Be Fired Over COVID Vaccine Refusal)

A number of House Republicans have introduced legislation to put an end to vaccine and mask mandates. In late September, a group of House Republicans introduced a bill that would prohibit federal agencies from implementing vaccine mandates.(RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans Urge Secretary Of Defense To Reconsider Vaccine Mandates In Military)

The Department of Defense did not respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment about Gaetz’s analysis.