The Republican governors of five states are asking (or demanding, depending how you read it) that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III exempt their states’ National Guards from the military’s vaccination requirements. Separately, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced he would refuse to enforce the mandate. The governors—Iowa’s Kim Reynolds, Nebraska’s Pete Ricketts, Mississippi’s Tate Reeves, Wyoming’s Mark Gordon, and Alaska’s Mike Dunleavy—sent Austin a letter arguing “that the National Guard is under the command and control of the Governor of each state unless those members are called to active service under Title 10,” and as such, shouldn’t be subject to the mandate. The group letter follows an attempt by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt to get his state’s National Guard exempted from the requirement. That attempt was not only rejected, it was followed by a reiteration of the Defense Department’s authority to mandate vaccination. Read more