The Department of the Navy on Friday wrote an apology letter to former military personnel who were “wrongfully” removed from service over the COVID vaccine mandate during the Biden administration.
Undersecretary of the Navy Hung Cao emphasized that the War Department is committed to “righting past wrongs” and welcoming former service members discharged during the pandemic.
“To the Sailors and Marines wrongfully discharged during COVID: We failed you,” Hung said in a video on X. “We will never let this happen again, not on my watch.” We’re ready for you to come back, and we want to correct your data.’
Cao, the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Management Officer of the Department of the Navy, who oversaw approximately one million Navy, Marine and civilian personnel, acknowledged the impact of the mandate on those it was forced to leave.
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“We are righting this wrong and it starts with this formal apology letter,” he said.
President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14184 shortly after returning to power last January, directing federal agencies to identify service members affected by the previous vaccination requirement and take steps to reinstate them or restore certain benefits.
The order applies to former members of the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Space Force and Coast Guard who were discharged solely for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.
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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon is reviewing discharges related to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate and working to correct military data. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The former defense secretary mandated in 2021 that all military personnel receive the COVID-19 vaccine, a policy that was rescinded in 2023.
“The military wrongfully discharged those who refused the vaccine, regardless of the years of service provided to our nation, after failing to grant many of them a waiver they should have received,” Trump’s executive order said.
The War Department has issued guidance to all secretaries of military departments to contact former service members with information about possible reassignment 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 discharges linked to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. (Al Drago/Reuters)
More than 8,000 service members were separated after the Biden administration’s Defense Department issued the vaccination mandate, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“It is unconscionable that thousands of former service members who remained true to their personal and religious beliefs were not only separated, but separated with blanket (under honorable circumstances), rather than honorable, discharge characterizations,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said in a December memo. “While many have requested and received assistance from our Military Department review boards, I believe it is up to us to make this right.”
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Undersecretary of the Navy Hung Cao acknowledged the impact of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate on service members discharged from the military. (US Navy)
Hegseth said he led a proactive review of personnel files to identify individuals who were involuntarily discharged solely because they refused the COVID-19 vaccine and to facilitate appropriate discharge upgrades.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Navy for additional information.
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