A Navy commander on a ship’s leadership team was fired on Friday after he refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine and refused testing for the virus, the first member of the sea service to be punished for refusing to comply with COVID-19 rules.
Commander Lucian Kins was relieved of his duties as second in command of the destroyer USS Winston Churchill because the head of Naval Surface Squadron 14, Capt. Ken Anderson, lost confidence in Kins’ ability to perform his duties, according to Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Jason Fischer. Fischer declined to give the precise reason why Kins was fired, citing privacy concerns.
Other officials said Kins refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine, refused testing for the virus and had applied for a religious exemption to the Pentagon’s vaccine mandate. That request was denied, although Kins is reportedly appealing the decision, according to a report from Stars and Stripes.
Navy personnel had until late November to comply with the Department of Defense COVID-19 vaccine requirement or request exemptions. No religious exceptions have been given by any branch of the military services despite thousands of applications from service members.
Fisher said Kins has been reassigned to the staff of Naval Surface Squadron 14.
Attempts to reach Kins were unsuccessful on Monday.
