The Department of Defense (DoD) filed an emergency motion yesterday with the United States Supreme Court to block unvaccinated Navy SEALs from being deployed on missions, even as geopolitical tensions rise. 

The request follows a January ruling by a Texas judge that blocked the Department of Defense from taking any “adverse action” against 35 SEALs who have not had the COVID-19 shot, defying the mandate imposed in August 2021. Last month, a three-judge panel on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Texas judge’s ruling. 

"Defendants have not demonstrated 'paramount interests' that justify vaccinating these 35 plaintiffs against COVID-19 in violation of their religious beliefs," the judges wrote. 

Now, the Biden administration is appealing to the Supreme Court, arguing that the lower court’s ruling violates Biden's authority who, acting as commander-in-chief, can choose which troops to deploy and when, at his discretion. 

The DoD also says it is concerned about the health of its service members. 

“The Navy has an extraordinarily compelling interest in ensuring that the service members who perform those missions are as physically and medically prepared as possible,” reads the court filing. “That includes vaccinating them against COVID-19, which is the least restrictive means of achieving that interest.” 

However, the vaccine’s adverse effects have started to come to light recently, particularly in how they affect athletes, as reported by Frontline News.

Moreover, a detailed letter written by U.S. Navy Commander Jay Furman last year warned that a vaccine mandate for military members is a national security threat. 

“Given the many unknowns and what we have come to learn most recently, mandatory COVID-19 vaccination may not only be rash, but perhaps become life-threatening to the nation vis-à-vis those dedicated to her defense, against very well-known strategic competitors,” Furman wrote in his letter. 

But what is perhaps most puzzling is the Biden administration’s endgame. 

Navy SEALs are special operations soldiers who are famously trained to be unbreakable. Hell Week alone, which only an average of 25% of candidates pass, is designed to test the mettle of a prospective SEAL. 

“Hell Week consists of 5 1/2 days of cold, wet, brutally difficult operational training on fewer than four hours of sleep,” says NavySeals.com. “Hell Week tests physical endurance, mental toughness, pain and cold tolerance, teamwork, attitude, and your ability to perform work under high physical and mental stress, and sleep deprivation.” 

Then, there is Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) training, where SEALs learn to endure torture and challenges beyond their limits. 

It is therefore puzzling as to how the Biden administration plans on coercing these Navy SEALs to abandon their resolve and get vaccinated.  

The DoD’s appeal to the Supreme Court comes just after Russian forces seized control of a Ukrainian nuclear weapons facility last week during its invasion. Russian President Vladimir Putin has already placed his nuclear forces on high alert.