Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday informed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that the Pentagon’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate won’t be imposed on National Guard troops in Texas. “As governor of Texas, I am the commander-in-chief of this state’s militia,” Abbott, a Republican, wrote in a letter (pdf) to Austin, a Biden nominee. Abbott has ordered Major Gen. Tracy Norris, the adjutant general of Texas, not to compel any person to get a COVID-19 vaccine, pointing to an executive order he signed earlier this year that forbids governmental entities from mandating vaccination. “Under this order, General Norris will not punish any guardsman in Texas for choosing not to receive the vaccine,” Abbott told Austin. “If unvaccinated guardsmen suffer any adverse consequences within the State of Texas, they will have only President Biden and his administration to blame.” Austin has threatened to cut off funding for National Guard members who don’t get a vaccine, …