The Department of Defense does not plan to suspend its COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which is compelling a huge portion of the U.S. military to get a jab. Republicans say the mandate raises serious questions on readiness and morale, with concerns that discharging unvaccinated troops will cripple the armed forces. “This haphazardly implemented and politically motivated vaccine mandate must be immediately suspended or risk irrevocable damage to our national security,” Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), the ranking GOP member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote in an Oct. 18 letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. In an emailed statement to The Epoch Times, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the department is aware of Inhofe’s letter and concerns and “will reply to them appropriately.” “That said, Secretary Austin remains convinced that our vaccination regimen—which has helped us achieve a fully vaccinated rate of nearly 85 percent in the active component and more …