The United States Air Force has published its guidelines for Covid Vaccines.
Religious Exemptions for the United States Air Force
Below are the vaccine guidelines for religious exemptions from the US Air Force. “
“(3) Religious exemptions.
(a) Service members. Immunization exemptions for religious reasons may be granted according to Service-specificpolicies to accommodate religious beliefs of a Service member. This is a command decision made with medical, judge advocate, and chaplain input.
- Requests for religious exemption must comply with the provisions of the applicable policy and/or regulation for the Servicemember requesting religious accommodation. For the Army, religious accommodation policy is provided in AR 600–20. For the Navy and Marine Corps, waivers are granted on a case-by-case basis by the Chief, Bureau of Medicine, and Surgery. For the Air Force, permanent exemptions for religious reasons are not granted; the MAJCOM commander is the designated approval and revocation authority for temporary immunization exemptions. For the Coast Guard, CG–122 is the designated approval and revocation authority for religious immunization exemptions. USCG requests must be forwarded through the appropriate chain to Commandant CG–122 via CG–112.
- A military physician must counsel the applicant. The physician should ensure that the Servicemember is making an informed decision and should address, at a minimum, specific information about the diseases concerned; specific vaccine information including product constituents, benefits, and risks; and potential risks of infection incurred by unimmunized individuals.
- The commander must counsel the individual that noncompliance with immunization requirements may adversely impact deployability, assignment, or international travel.
- Per DODI 1300.17 and applicable service regulations will be provided whether Servicemembers with pending active requests for religious exemption are temporarily deferred from immunizations, pending outcome of their request.
- Religious exemptions may be revoked, in accordance with Service-specific policies and procedures, if the individual and/or unit are at imminent risk of exposure to a disease for which an immunization is available.