Three cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy who refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine won't be commissioned as military officers, though they will graduate with bachelor's degrees, according to The Associated Press
A fourth cadet refused the vaccine until about a week ago but decided to get vaccinated, so that cadet will graduate and become an Air Force officer.
The three cadets won't be commissioned "as long as they remain unvaccinated," Dean Miller, a spokesman for the Air Force Academy, told the AP.
Frank Kendall, the Air Force secretary, will determine whether to require the three cadets to reimburse the U.S. for education costs in place of their service.
As of Saturday, the Air Force is the only military academy where cadets aren't being commissioned because they refused to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, the AP reported.
All the Army cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point — more than 1,000 cadets — graduated and were commissioned this weekend. All were vaccinated.
The Naval Academy at Annapolis said none of the Navy or Marine Corps graduates are being prevented from becoming an officer due to vaccine refusals, the AP reported.
The Air Force graduation ceremony is Wednesday in Colorado.
