Senior defense leaders this week made themselves public examples by posting their COVID-19 vaccine experiences. The leadership hoped to "encourage others to join the fight."
Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said at the beginning of December that certain senior defense leadership had already agreed, before the vaccine was officially approved by all required entities, to receive the vaccine publicly in order to communicate to the force that the vaccine is safe and necessary.
And, as promised, as soon as the vaccine was approved, the DoD had "needles in arms."
I got the COVID-19 vaccination yesterday with @SecArmy @VCSA37 and @16thSMA and encourage everyone to join us in the fight. pic.twitter.com/42ya9UApfE
— GEN James C. McConville (@ArmyChiefStaff) December 22, 2020
"We are incredibly proud of the medical professionals who have worked around the clock to deliver COVID-19 vaccines across the nation," Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy tweeted along with a video of his vaccine experience.
Senior leaders now vaccinated also include the top triad of military officers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John Hyten, and Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman Ramon Colon-Lopez.
And, while he lacks a Twitter account, the Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller also received his COVID-19 vaccine at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last Monday.
The DoD is now working to distribute its allotted 44,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine according to its tiered distribution plan which prioritizes high-risk individuals as well as those working in healthcare roles. Eventually, the DoD plans to have all 11 million of its troops, military families, retirees, civilian employees, and contractors vaccinated.
