(Headline USA)The U.S. Navy has quietly rolled back its disparate treatment of unvaccinated SEALs shortly after a lawsuit was filed alleging the soldiers were being forced to live in “deplorable” conditions.
A large number of Navy SEALs sought religious exemptions from President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate and were disqualified from training, traveling for deployment and doncuting other standard business as a result. The order, dubbed “Trident Order #12,” specifically said SEALs “refusing to receive recommended vaccines based solely on personal or religious beliefs will still be medically disqualified,” or, “non-deployable.”
The SEALs filed a lawsuit against the Navy, arguing they were unjustly being denied religious exemptions to the mandate, and that the military was infringing upon their First Amendment rights. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the SEALs in early 2022 and placed an injunction on the order.
A few months later, without ever publicly addressing the lawsuit, the Navy quietly rolled back Trident Order #12, according to Fox News.
A communication order was circulated by the Navy in May 2022 with the subject: “NSWC CLOSEOUT TO TRIDENT ORDER #12 – MANDATORY VACCINATION FOR COVID-19.”
“This order rescinds reference A,” it states, referring to “Ref A” as “Trident Order #12 on COVID-19 Vaccinations.”
The legal team representing the Navy SEALs said they only became aware that the mandate had been rolled back on Sept. 1, after another lawsuit was filed against the military branch alleging officers were deliberately treating unvaccinated soldiers poorly.
First Liberty also celebrated the repeal of the order as a win for religious liberty and America’s soldiers.
“Now that the Navy has rescinded this unlawful order, the only reason it won’t allow our SEALs to get back to doing their jobs is because of their religious beliefs,” Mike Berry, First Liberty’s senior counsel and director of military affairs, said.
