The Biden administration is releasing a “roadmap” for maintaining government defenses against infectious diseases, just as President-elect Donald Trump pledges to dismantle some of them.

Their pleas underscored the widespread concern about the reluctance among service members and their families to get the vaccine. According to senior defense leaders, the percentage of service members declining to get the shot is about the same as the general population — around half. Defense officials said they don't have detailed statistics on exactly how many service members have declined the vaccine, which is strictly voluntary for the military. As of Thursday, the Defense Department had received more than 872,000 vaccine doses, and had administered more than 500,000. He added that service members who decline the shot are allowed to continue in what ever job they have.