The US Army said Wednesday that soldiers who failed to comply with COVID-19 vaccination rules would be discharged. It claimed the move was essential to maintaining combat readiness.

"Unvaccinated Soldiers present risk to the force and jeopardize readiness," Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth said in a statement.

"We will begin involuntary separation proceedings for Soldiers who refuse the vaccine order and are not pending a final decision on an exemption."

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The army said that the order applies to regular army soldiers as well as active-duty army reservists and cadets unless they have exemptions, either approved or pending.

It is the latest move from a US military branch to discharge unvaccinated members amid the pandemic. The Pentagon mandated vaccinations for all service members in August 2021.

It is estimated that more than 3,000 soldiers can be discharged. As of the end of 2021, the army had 482,000 active-duty personnel.

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The military has already removed six high ranking officers, including two battalion commanders, for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as of January 26.&nbsp;

Another 3,073 soldiers have also been reprimanded for refusing to get vaccinated.

In mid-October, the US Navy also announced that personnel who declined vaccination against COVID-19 would be expelled from the service.

Approximately 40 members have already been discharged and more than 300 members have been discharged from the Marine Corps, which is also under the authority of the Navy.

Watch |&nbsp;Study: Omicron sub-variant BA.2 more contagious, 39% of infected patients likely to infect others

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/study-omicron-sub-variant-ba2-more-contagious-39-of-infected-patients-likely-to-infect-others-449863/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Owing to the risk that one single case of Covid could infect an entire ship or submarine at sea, forcing them out of action, the navy has been particularly sensitive to the pandemic.

Pentagon statistics indicate that approximately 97 per cent of the 1.4 million active-duty US military personnel received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The US Army said Wednesday that soldiers who failed to comply with COVID-19 vaccination rules would be discharged. It claimed the move was essential to maintaining combat readiness.

The US Army said Wednesday that soldiers who failed to comply with COVID-19 vaccination rules would be discharged. It claimed the move was essential to maintaining combat readiness. "Unvaccinated Soldiers present risk to the force and jeopardize readiness," Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth said in a statement. "We will begin involuntary separation proceedings for Soldiers who refuse the vaccine order and are not pending a final decision on an exemption." Also read | US Army to bar promotion, re-enlistment for soldiers who refuse to take Covid vaccine The army said that the order applies to regular army soldiers as well as active-duty army reservists and cadets unless they have exemptions, either approved or pending. It is the latest move from a US military branch to discharge unvaccinated members amid the pandemic. The Pentagon mandated vaccinations for all service members in August 2021. It is estimated that more than 3,000 soldiers can be discharged. As of the end of 2021, the army had 482,000 active-duty personnel. Also read | 27 US Air Force personnel removed for refusing to take COVID-19 vaccine The military has already removed six high ranking officers, including two battalion commanders, for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as of January 26. Another 3,073 soldiers have also been reprimanded for refusing to get vaccinated. In mid-October, the US Navy also announced that personnel who declined vaccination against COVID-19 would be expelled from the service. Approximately 40 members have already been discharged and more than 300 members have been discharged from the Marine Corps, which is also under the authority of the Navy. Watch | Study: Omicron sub-variant BA.2 more contagious, 39% of infected patients likely to infect others Owing to the risk that one single case of Covid could infect an entire ship or submarine at sea, forcing them out of action, the navy has been particularly sensitive to the pandemic. Pentagon statistics indicate that approximately 97 per cent of the 1.4 million active-duty US military personnel received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

More than 3000 personnel face getting discharged as US Army tightens vaccine mandate rules

The&nbsp;US&nbsp;Department of Defense is considering to ban&nbsp;new recruits from joining the military if they have been hospitalised for due to&nbsp;coronavirus,&nbsp;according to a defense official.

They will not be exempted unless they get a waiver from the service they want to sign up with.

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The official said the guidance is being put in place because there is little understanding of the "long-term" effects of the virus and there is a concern that potential recruits who have been hospitalized may need further medical assessments.

The new policy is being finalized to set medical restrictions on recruits who may have tested positive or have been treated for Covid-19.

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There is a particular concern over whether a sufficient number of recruits will be able to join before a rigorous enough testing regime is in place to ensure they are healthy enough to enter training.

Department of Defense medical waivers are required for a wide variety of medical conditions ranging from heart disease to a loss of vision.

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Defense Secretary Mark Esper said at the Pentagon Tuesday that the department would randomly test groups of people "to understand how many asymptomatic or carriers are maybe out there."

The US Department of Defense is considering to ban new recruits from joining the military if they have been hospitalised for due to coronavirus, according to a defense official.

The US Department of Defense is considering to ban new recruits from joining the military if they have been hospitalised for due to coronavirus, according to a defense official. They will not be exempted unless they get a waiver from the service they want to sign up with. Also read: Coronavirus 'worse' than Pearl Harbor, 9/11 for US, says Trump The official said the guidance is being put in place because there is little understanding of the "long-term" effects of the virus and there is a concern that potential recruits who have been hospitalized may need further medical assessments. The new policy is being finalized to set medical restrictions on recruits who may have tested positive or have been treated for Covid-19. Also read: For second consecutive year, sexual assault cases increase in US military There is a particular concern over whether a sufficient number of recruits will be able to join before a rigorous enough testing regime is in place to ensure they are healthy enough to enter training. Department of Defense medical waivers are required for a wide variety of medical conditions ranging from heart disease to a loss of vision. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said at the Pentagon Tuesday that the department would randomly test groups of people "to understand how many asymptomatic or carriers are maybe out there."

Pentagon planning to ban new military recruits hospitalised due to COVID-19

A report by News Week (New York based magazine) claimed that more than 150 military bases of United States of America have been infected of Coronavirus (COVID-19) which has halted military training.

Report: More than 150 US military bases infected of COVID-19, infection halts training