The Air Force has announced that any Airman or Guardian who has not received the COVID-19 vaccine will not be allowed to permanent change of station (PCS). This newest move runs parallel to similar stances in the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps.

While the Navy and Marine Corps have already said vaccine refusers will get the boot, it is still not clear what the Air Force intends to do with those who refuse.

 

A Shot Across the Bow

A memo that began circulating on Facebook and Reddit November 23 shows that beginning November 29, any Air Force members who have not been fully vaccinated, begun the vaccination process, or don’t have an approved waiver, will not be allowed to PCS, unless they are already in the process of moving. This PCS freeze affects those overseas as well, with date eligible to return from overseas (DEROS) being pushed back in 120-day increments. Those DEROS dates are set early in the overseas PCS process. Force projections are often based on those dates.