Is The Military Affected By Shutdowns From COVID-19?

It’s hard to believe, but it's been a while since late 2019 when the COVID-19 pandemic began in China and spread worldwide within months. As the virus spread across the globe, many future recruits found themselves asking is the military affected by shutdown?

Basic and Individual Training
Luckily, creative U.S. military leaders devised multiple plans that included quarantines, reducing training class sizes, social distancing and other steps that the service branches took to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 to trainees. Although many family members of future recruits still asked is the military affected by shutdown, the services quite successfully managed to fight the spread of COVID-19 and keep training on schedule.

And while new recruits found themselves asking in basic and individual training, is the military affected by shutdown, they completed training and marched on in their careers.

Military Operations
Is the military affected by shutdown? Not when it comes to operations. The U.S. military has taken steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, but the OPTEMPO of the military has not slowed. The Navy continues its worldwide deployments and other branches of service continue their global rotations. It is a legitimate question though, to ask is the military affected by shutdown?

In fact, even high profile recruiting and awareness operations like the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds have continued their outreach after initially cancelling shows. Is the military affected by shutdown? Operationally speaking, no.

Pay and Benefits
Changes in the way the military carries out its day-to-day operations might have some military members, retirees and veterans asking themselves is the military affected by shutdown? Many federal workers have been asked to telecommute and some services, like records requests and historical support, have been slowed.

But the truth is, despite COVID-19 mitigation protocols, vital services like veteran benefits and military pay have not been impacted. In fact, federal plans stipulate that human life and property be protected no matter what happens during a COVID crisis. Is the military affected by shutdown, not when it comes to veterans and military benefits needed to sustain life.

COVID-19 Vaccine
The Department of Defense has ordered all military members to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and the outcome of that order has yet to be determined. Certainly, some military members will request exemption based on a variety of reasons and their challenges will be scrutinized in legal channels, but for now, is the military affected by shutdown? No, the COVID-19 vaccine has been given widely to many military members and there is no evidence to suggest that a shutdown will be caused by the COVID-19 vaccine. Is the military affected by shutdown because of the COVID-19 vaccine? Nope.