Protecting the Force

The US Military and the Controversial Anthrax Vaccine

Purpose: To outline a course of action that will prevent refusal of the anthrax vaccine by military personnel up and down the chain of command. Since each member of the United States military is valuable, even small resistance to the vaccine ought to be avoided. Furthermore, any resistance has the potential to spread and cause a more widespread problem. Lastly, refusal of the vaccine is detrimental to unit cohesiveness and morale. With the proper approach, junior officers and the chain of command can suppress this problem at multiple levels before it becomes an issue.