Overview
- The Air Force Review Boards Agency identified 377 airmen separated solely for refusing the vaccine and reviewed 218 additional cases, upgrading a total of 595 active-duty and Air National Guard records.
- Upgrades include changing many discharges to honorable, assigning reentry codes that allow immediate eligibility to reenlist if standards are met, and using a Secretarial Authority narrative to indicate no misconduct.
- The review finished nine months ahead of the deadline set in a December 2025 directive to proactively address COVID-19 vaccine separation cases.
- The Pentagon extended the deadline for discharged service members to seek reinstatement to April 1, 2027, and the Air Force has begun contacting affected individuals.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a video message that the active-duty service obligation for those who return is reduced from four years to two, with services directed to notify eligible veterans.