As many as 10,000 US Marines are expected to miss the branch's mandate to be fully vaccinated by Sunday as the branch and the Pentagon weigh how to deal with the service members who don't get the jab.
The Marines' vaccination rate, 94 percent, is the lowest among the military, raising questions about what it means for safety and readiness for the branch that is often the US's first line of defense.
The Navy, in comparison, has a 99.7 percent vaccination rate ahead of the same Sunday deadline.
It is unclear what will happen to Marines that refuse the jab.
'We will be addressing each case on a case-by-case basis is what we’re going to be doing,' Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro said last week.
'We’re just not going to all kick them out on the day of the deadline itself.'
Only 94 percent of US Marines are vaccinated ahead of Sunday's mandate deadline
As many as 10,000 Marines are expected to miss the deadline to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as the death toll doubles from last year's
Marines are younger than most other service members and are mostly male. They also generally don't have college degrees, all of which are tied to lower vaccination rates
The Navy has the highest vaccination rate of any branch with 99.7 percent
Active duty Marines have until Sunday to get vaccinated, while reservists have until December 28.
In the Army, 95 percent of soldiers have received at least one dose. Active duty soldiers have until December 15 to be fully vaccinated, with the Army saying that those who refuse will not be allowed to re-enlist or be promoted.
The Office of Management and Budget said Wednesday that 92 percent of federal government workers, including the military, have been vaccinated, with just four percent being granted religious or medical exemptions.
The military branches set their own deadlines after the Biden administration announced plans to mandate the vaccine for service members back in August.
Marines are younger on average than members of other services, are mostly male and generally don't have college degrees, all of which are tied to lower rates of vaccination in the US, according to the Washington Post.
Analysts also cite the spread of fake news about the vaccine, political and societal attitudes and the culture of each branch of the military as reasons why member are holding out.
Earlier this month, Commandant David H. Berger and his senior enlisted adviser, Sgt. Maj. Troy E. Black, released a video message urging Marines to get the jab.
'When something bad happens around the world and the president says, "I need to know how long it’s going to take to get Marines there," it’s too late then to get vaccinated,' Berger said.
'It’s challenging for us to be able to continue the mission if we’re not ready to go,' Black said.
Berger continued: 'We need every single Marine in the unit to be vaccinated. We don’t have extra Marines. We’re a pretty small force, and we have to make sure that everybody on the team is ready to go all the time. That’s our job.'
Not all units suffer from the same vaccine hesitancy. The unit that helped in Afghan evacuations in August, above, was 98 percent vaccinated months earlier
General David Berger, Commandant of the US Marine Corps urged his members to get vaccinated, appealing to the branch's sense of duty and readiness
As part of the Navy, Marines often operate out of crowded ships, which raises the risk of infection.
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