That’s what SecDef Lloyd Austin is insisting, through his Press Secretary Admiral John Kirby, regarding his order to States’ National Guard to get vaccinated against the Wuhan Virus or face serious consequences that have

the same potential [for punishment] as active-duty members who refuse the vaccine.

That punishment extends up through dishonorable discharge.

Leaving aside the fact that Austin’s vaccine mandate violates Guardsmen’s religion-related rights and utterly ignores existing virus immunity from having already been infected and recovered, the Austin Mandate is a deliberate overreach of his authority as a Federal government cabinet secretary.

DoD has little control over States’ National Guards and none at all over their medical statuses unless and until units of those National Guards are federalized—and then DoD’s authority extends only to those federalized units.

The Austin Mandate is not a lawful order.