On Monday morning, Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), a retired Army Green Beret, warned that our National Guard could be severely crippled due to the Biden regime’s ridiculous Covid vaccine mandate.

“June 30 marked Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s arbitrary deadline for members of the National Guard and Reserves to receive the COVID-19 vaccine despite Congress’ mandate that the Department of Defense establish uniform procedures under which service members can be exempted,” Waltz wrote for Fox News.

It remains to be seen whether this mandate will be enforced but, if it is, about 60,000 National Guard and Reserves are unvaccinated and would face punishment.

“As a congressman and National Guard colonel – who has had COVID-19 and been vaccinated – I can’t imagine a more reckless decision than to reprimand tens of thousands of National Guard members who have answered the call of duty,” said Waltz. “Currently, every branch of the U.S. military is struggling mightily to recruit men and women to join its ranks. This year is shaping up to be one of the worst recruiting years for our military since the Vietnam War.”

While the Guardsmen await the decision of Secretary Lloyd Austin, those who are unvaccinated are unable to partake in training exercises – effectively reducing their preparedness in the event of deployment for overseas combat or in the event of a natural disaster.

Earlier this month, the Army announced that 40,000 National Guard and 22,000 reserve soldiers who did not receive the vaccine will be subject to “adverse administrative actions, including flags, bars to service, and official reprimands.”

Waltz condemned the decision to place this mandate on the National Guard in the first place, saying,

“Two things have changed since the mandate was implemented. First, the vaccine has shown to not stop the spread but rather reduce symptoms. Second, tens of thousands of National Guard and reservists have expressed serious reservations about the emergency development of the vaccine.

To cripple our military, which is mostly comprised of healthy young men and women, is irresponsible… there’s no excuse to bar service members from serving in uniform.”

While we are struggling severely with recruitment, our leadership is simultaneously removing 60,000 perfectly healthy and able young men and women from our military. Meanwhile, China is in the midst of a major military buildup, and Russia continues its attack on Ukraine.

“Whether it’s enforcing a vaccine mandate on our troops, the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, or the increased woke indoctrination through mandatory seminars and training, our military is being depleted. “