Radio Interview with Nico Melendez: How the Covid-19 Mandates Affected Our Military Readiness

Aired on WBAP Morning Show on Thursday 5/8/2025

Interview with Nico Melendez 34-year Navy Veteran and Former National Spokesperson for the Department of Transportation, DHS, and TSA

Host: "How much have political mandates hurt the armed forces?"

Nico Melendez: "Well, I think when you look at the impact over the last couple of years—you know, with the 8,000 people who left the military—I like to equate it to a football team. When you take a number of players off your team, it takes time to retrain, re-teach, and explain everything the team is trying to do. So it's going to take a while before the military, broadly, is able to get those 8,000 people replaced, trained, and back on the front lines of defense."

"It significantly impacts our national security, and I applaud the President for welcoming these trained sailors back into the military forces, because they are key to the success and defense of our nation."

Host: "How did we end up in a position where politics starts playing a role in the military?"

Melendez: "Over time—specifically over the last four years—we saw political leaders in the administration wanting to normalize the COVID-19 vaccine. They wanted to demonstrate to the public that the vaccine was safe and fine. So, one easy way was just to say, “Okay, everybody in the military—go get your vaccines. Let’s demonstrate to the people that it’s fine.”

"But they didn’t give enough regard to the long-term safety of these soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen. We didn’t know the long-term impacts. A lot of these people are now educated on the effects of vaccines and other things, and they don’t want to be crash test dummies for the military. They want to protect themselves, their families, and their religious beliefs from any potential impact of vaccine mandates—or any other mandates.

I think it was an opportunity for the administration to reaffirm to the public that the vaccine was normal and fine, without realizing the long-term impact it would have on the military."

Host: "Did this hurt trust in leadership?"

Melendez: "Significantly. It hurt trust in leadership, especially during the last administration. When we saw recruiting numbers plummet in 2023, it really showed that people didn’t want to serve in our nation’s military."

"Now, fast-forward to this year—we’re exceeding recruitment goals. I think one can’t be possible without the other. For instance, the Army is currently at 115% of its goal. The Navy is at 105%, and the Marine Corps is at 106%—which is significantly different than just a year ago. Trust in political leadership is coming back, but it’s certainly going to take time to rebuild."

Host: "I’m assuming the COVID mandate is no longer part of the military?"

Melendez: "That’s correct. The COVID mandate is no longer part of the military. They removed it. The Department of Defense is now welcoming back those 8,000 people who were essentially kicked out a few years ago."

"The problem now is that there are bureaucratic hurdles these service members have to jump through in order to come back in. I know one young sailor who got out of the Navy three years ago. He expressed a desire to come back and has now been trying to rejoin for six weeks."

"If we eliminated some of these bureaucratic hurdles—like medical exams or background checks—we could streamline the process. If we’re welcoming them back in, then let’s welcome them. Bring them in, and let’s fix everything on the back end. Don’t make them wait longer than necessary."

Host: "He’s just one. How many out of the 8,000 do you think will come back?"

Melendez: "So far, the numbers are very low. We've seen about 100, I believe, as of the last numbers I checked. Obviously, we—the military—are hoping significantly more people will come back, but we haven’t seen proof of that just yet."

"With the hurdles they’re facing, we probably won’t know for a few months how many will return. It takes time. When they were discharged, they had a code on their DD-214 explaining why they were being separated. Now they have to go back to the Navy or their respective service branch to have those records changed. That’s another two- or three-week process."

"So, yes, it takes time for all these things to happen. But I believe there are tools that could be put in place to remove the timeline and get these service members back in uniform quicker."

Host: "Nico Melendez—34-year Navy veteran, former national spokesperson for the Department of Transportation, DHS, and TSA—thank you so much for your time today. I sure do appreciate it."

Melendez: "My pleasure. Thank you for having me."

End of transcript.