US Destroyer Stuck in Port Due to Unvaxxed Commander

by | Mar 9, 2022

US Destroyer Stuck in Port Due to Unvaxxed Commander

by | Mar 9, 2022

An advanced US Navy warship is unable to sail because its commanding officer  has refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19, according to a Pentagon court filing, creating a legal standoff which higher-ups have deemed a “manifest national security concern.” 

The Defense Department is pressing a US district court in Florida to vacate an injunction which bars punishment for any sailors and Marines declining the vaccine. The rule means the military cannot fire the commander of an unidentified Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, which reportedly remains stuck in port over his reluctance to take the jab.

“With respect to [the] Navy Commander, the Navy has lost confidence in his ability to lead and will not deploy the warship with him in command,” the Pentagon said of the unvaxxed officer, insisting that the court order “effectively places a multi-billion-dollar guided missile destroyer out of commission.”

The CO also was not identified in the filing, but a response from his lawyer said the Pentagon’s argument “reeks of petty retaliation and contempt,” adding that the commander led the ship on operations for 300 days before a vaccine was available “with no operational impediment.” 

The military, however, accuses the officer of exposing “dozens of his crew to Covid-19” after failing to test for the virus despite coming down with symptoms, and says even if he were to be vaccinated and again deemed “credible,” he could not continue to command “given the breach of the relationships with both his commanding officer and his subordinates.”

The injunction against penalties for those refusing immunizations stemmed from a case which argued that the sweeping Covid vaccine mandate violates soldiers’ religious liberties. 

“Through much prayer and reflection, Plaintiffs have sought wisdom, understanding, and guidance on the proper decisions to make concerning these Covid-19 vaccines,” the lawsuit said, adding that “Plaintiffs have been convicted by the Holy Spirit that accepting any of the three currently available vaccines is against the teachings of Scripture and would be a sin.”

Though the suit is centered on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the Pentagon claims the vaccine requirement is in line with the law, calling the injunction, “an extraordinary intrusion upon the inner workings of the military” – which is apparently still fixated on full-scale enforcement of the vax rule even as much of the US moves away from similar mandates.

COVID Backpedaling is Classic Gaslighting

Kyle Anzalone and Will Porter

Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com and news editor of the Libertarian Institute. He also hosts the Kyle Anzalone Show.

Will Porter is the assistant news editor of the Libertarian Institute and a former staff writer and editor at RT. He edited Scott Horton's 2024 book Provoked: How Washington started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine.

Kyle and Will host the Conflicts of Interest podcast along with Connor Freeman.

View all posts

Our Books

Shop books published by the Libertarian Institute.

Podcasts

scotthortonshow logosq

coi banner sq2@0.5x

liberty weekly thumbnail

Don't Tread on Anyone Logo

313x0w (1)

313x0w (1)

313x0w (1)

Our Books

Recent Articles

Recent

News Roundup 9/15/2025

News Roundup 9/15/2025

US News House Passes Defense Spending Bill that Includes Repeal of Iraq Wars Authorizations AWC House Bill Would Give Secretary of State Power to Revoke US Passport for ‘Aiding’ Terrorism AWC Russia Senators Seek to Ramp Up Economic War on Russia The Institute ...

read more
News Roundup 9/11/2025

News Roundup 9/11/2025

Venezuela Sec of War Hegseth Visits Puerto Rico Amid Military Buildup Targeting Venezuela The Institute  Venezuela Says It’s Deploying Additional Forces To Combat Drug Trafficking Amid Tensions With US AWC Sen. Rand Paul Criticizes the Trump Administration’s Bombing...

read more
News Roundup 9/8/2025

News Roundup 9/8/2025

Venezuela  US Adds Two Ecuadorian Gangs to the List of Narco-Terrorist Organizations The Institute  Sen. Rand Paul Criticizes the Trump Administration’s Bombing of Boat Near Venezuela AWC US Moves F-35s to Puerto Rico as Trump Considers Strikes in Venezuela Nap Trump...

read more

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This