With crime exploding, border crossings at an all-time high, and the nation’s travel system in chaos, what else could you do to make Americans less safe? Well, if you’re Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, you could force out up to 14,000 Army National Guard troops who refuse to get the COVID vaccine.

That very well could happen Thursday, as the deadline for troops to get vaxed hits. The number could go even higher, as the Associated Press reports:

Up to 40,000 Army National Guard soldiers across the country — or about 13% of the force — have not yet gotten the mandated COVID-19 vaccine, and as the deadline for shots looms, at least 14,000 of them have flatly refused and could be forced out of the service.

Guard soldiers have until Thursday to get the vaccine. According to data obtained by The Associated Press, between 20% to 30% of the Guard soldiers in six states are not vaccinated, and more than 10% in 43 other states still need shots.

HYPOCRISY WATCH: Biden gang set to fire tens of thousands of troops for refusing to undergo a irreversible medical treatment. https://t.co/raKOm2hgck

— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) June 27, 2022

It was back in August of 2021 that Austin issued the requirement for soldiers to get vaccinated, saying in a memo:

To defend this Nation, we need a healthy and ready force. After careful consultation with medical experts and military leadership, and with the support of the President, I have determined that mandatory vaccination against coronavirus disease…is necessary to protect the Force and defend the American people.

Never mind that questions still swirl around the efficacy and even the safety of the vaccines. Get your jab, or get walking. “Our bodies our choice” does not apply here, because for liberals, that slogan only seems to apply to abortion.

Guard leaders say states are doing all they can to encourage force soldiers to get the shot. They said they will try to work with coerce the roughly 7,000 who have sought exemptions, most for religious reasons.

What does “work with,” mean, pray tell? It means your religious exemption is denied, so bare your arm unless you want to get the boot.

40,000 Army National Guard troops have until Thursday to get vaaxed, or risk dismissal.
This entire BS “mandate” is a JOKE! pic.twitter.com/55LM2JCvxV

— 🇺🇸ProudArmyBrat (@leslibless) June 26, 2022

This after the Supreme Court in January struck down Biden’s OSHA mandates which required companies with over 100 workers to get all their employees dosed. The decision was a major setback for the Biden Administration. The OSHA regulations were an unconstitutional power grab, but unfortunately, the SCOTUS ruling did not apply to the Department of Defense.

Expect the Department to be punitive in its approach. In a letter to seven governors who asked Austin to reconsider the mandates, he flatly rejected a review, saying the virus “takes our service members out of the fight, temporarily or permanently, and jeopardizes our ability to meet mission requirements.”

The obvious counter-argument is that taking thousands of soldiers off active duty status jeopardizes readiness a whole lot more than the threat of the virus does. Admits Lt. Gen. Jon Jensen, director of the Army National Guard:

When you’re looking at, 40,000 soldiers that potentially are in that unvaccinated category, absolutely there’s readiness implications on that and concerns associated with that. That’s a significant chunk.

You think?

We ask a lot of our Army Guard soldiers—putting their lives at risk, exposing themselves to danger in places like Kenosha, being prepared to jump into action at a moment’s notice. The rampant wokeism in our military is making many soldiers question their decision to serve. Forcing thousands out for refusing to get an experimental vaccine will just add fuel to the fire. I wouldn’t want to be a military recruiter right now.