The watchdog for the Pentagon has flagged an internal report detailing a troubling pattern regarding violations of standards for reviewing and denying religious exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. (RELATED: Marines Reveal Penalty for Leathernecks Who Refuse Vaccines)
An internal memo between the Pentagon's Acting Inspector General Sean O'Donnell and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin details O'Donnell's concerns pertaining to repeated denials of religious liberty accommodation requests from COVID-19 vaccination requirements.”
According to initial reports from Fox News, the Inspector General sent the letter to Secretary Austin in June to notify him of the “potential noncompliance” violations after receiving “dozens” of complaints related to denied religious exemption requests from military service members.
O'Donnell wrote that he had been made aware the Defense Department was issuing generalized assessments instead of the individual assessments required by federal law and DOD and military service policies. (RELATED: ‘Elite' Civilian Education is Making American Military Leaders Woke Lefties – And Destroying Our Military)
The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA) prohibits the government from “substantially burden[ing] a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability.”
“The denial memorandums we reviewed generally did not reflect an individualized analysis, demonstrating that the Senior Military Official considered the full range of facts and circumstances relevant to the particular religious accommodation request,” he explained.
“Such a review period seems insufficient to process each request in an individualized manner and still perform the duties required of their position,” O'Donnell continued.
He noted that an average of 50 denials were processed per day over 90 days which, assuming a 10-hour workday without breaks, would leave a 12-minute review of each service member's request, some of which were over 100-pages long.
A Pentagon spokesperson told Fox News Digital in response to the report: “The department has a Uniform Standards for Mandated Coronavirus Vaccination Working group that meets regularly to ensure the department is doing everything we can to best protect our service members and their families.”
“[The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness] Secretary Cisneros himself has communicated the standards for the services to follow regarding all exemptions and mandates, outlining that they be consistent with the requirements of section 720 of the FY22 NDAA. Additionally, he has formally communicated that the standard for religious exemptions related to COVID-19 vaccination must be processed in accordance with the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993,” the DOD spokesperson continued.
The troubling report comes amid an ongoing lawsuit brought by 35 active-duty Navy SEALs and three reservists seeking religious exemptions from the DOD.
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I hope load austin’s heart stops soon; like now!
Don’t send letters…send armed people to arrest him.
Once again this shows just how political the military ” leaders” have become. Sadly when that happens it’s the troops that pay the price for it. I served 26 years in our military and was very proud to do it, right now I feel sorry for those serving today and the added stress politics brings on them.
Agreed.
My last month paycheck was 11000 dollars… All I did was simple 0nline work from comfort at home for 3-4 hours/day that I got from this agency I discovered over the internet and they paid me 95 dollars every hour. for more detail… https://cashliberty7.blogspot.com/
I thought he was an ass before I knew what position he had been nominated for.
Who are they going to pray to in a fox hole?
Right! Who said it” ‘There are no atheists in foxholes?’
So those requests were not actually reviewed, just blanket denied, & the service members penalized for exercising the very freedoms they serve to defend. This is unacceptable. No one forfeits his rights when he volunteers to serve; that’s just not part of the contract! Further,thoseare EXPERIMENTAL drugs, ergo must only be taken voluntarily, after fully informed consent, neither of which occurred! Requiring them violates the law.
EVERYONE WITH A BRAIN AND COMMON SENSE AND ALSO WHO CAN READ know These vacines are garbage. Pfizer even admitted in published articles they dont work really. The MILITARY needs to stop pushing this garbage. You are already ruining the MILITARY with your propaganda. We are nolonger fit for anykind of defensive warfare. WAKE UP!!!!