CIA Official Terry Adirim Fired Over Military COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Role

Terry Adirim, a senior CIA official and former Defense Department appointee, has been terminated due to her role in enforcing the Biden administration's military COVID-19 vaccine mandate. This mandate required service members to choose between receiving a vaccine under Emergency Use Authorization or facing expulsion, a decision met with legal challenges and ethical concerns. A federal judge recently blocked the Pentagon from punishing unvaccinated Navy SEALs and Special Forces members, emphasizing the protection of individual freedoms within the military. Adirim's termination follows criticism of her September 2021 memo, which directed Department of Defense healthcare providers to consider EUA vaccines as interchangeable with FDA-approved ones, a move deemed legally questionable. Despite internal objections regarding the legality of the mandate, Adirim's orders were implemented, leading to the dismissal of over 8,700 service members. The Trump administration is now working to reinstate those who were forced out due to these mandates.