WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — “It remains a lawful order. It remains a readiness issue,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said, defending the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine for Army personnel.

The Army announced Wednesday it will immediately begin discharging soldiers who have refused to get the vaccine.

“The vaccines work and we want everybody to take them and to keep safe. To keep their units safe,” Kirby said.

According to data released by the Army last week, more than 3,300 soldiers have refused to get the vaccine. The Army has said that more than 3,000 soldiers have been issued official written reprimands, which suggests they are already identified in the disciplinary process, and some of them could be among the first to be discharged.

“Army readiness depends on soldiers who are prepared to train, deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars,” Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth said in a statement. “Unvaccinated soldiers present risk to the force and jeopardize readiness.”

The order includes active-duty soldiers, reserves serving on active duty, and cadets at the Military Academy at West Point, its preparatory school and ROTC.

The detailed order said soldiers will be discharged for misconduct, and noted that those who are eligible to retire may do so before July 1.

The Pentagon has ordered all service members — active-duty, National Guard and Reserves — to get the vaccine, saying it is critical to maintaining the health and readiness of the force. COVID-19 cases continue to surge around the country as a result of the omicron variant.

The overwhelming majority of active-duty soldiers, 96%, are fully vaccinated. Just shy of 6,000 have requested religious exemptions, making them temporarily exempt from the vaccine mandate while the army considers their status.

The Army is the last military branch to begin dismissals for troops who are refusing the shots. The Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy have already discharged active-duty troops or entry-level personnel at boot camps for refusing the shots. So far, the Army has not discharged any.

National Guard and Reservists have until June 30 to comply with the mandate.

Overall, more than 650 Marines, airmen and sailors have been thrown out of the military or dismissed from entry-level training at boot camps, according to data released this week and last week by military services.

The military has been going through a methodical process to deal with those who refuse the vaccine as well as those who request medical, administrative or religious exemptions. The reviews require counseling with medical personnel and chaplains as well as senior commanders.