Mandating the COVID-19 Vaccine for U.S. Service Members: An Exploration of Ethical Arguments

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the globe, the advent of novel vaccines has created a possible path to prepandemic life for many. Still, many individuals, including those in the U.S. military, remain hesitant about getting vaccinated. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently granted full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine (Comirnaty). Consistent with messaging from President Biden, the Department of Defense leadership has instructed the military to prepare for mandatory vaccination. While many have praised this declaration, others have raised concerns regarding the suppression of individual service member autonomy. This commentary explains the different ethical principles relevant to individual autonomy and how they are understood in a military context and then explores the ethical arguments both for and against mandating vaccination for all U.S. service members.