Gen. Berger telephoned the defense secretary minutes after he said in a press conference that the Covid-19 vaccination is needed to maintain military readiness and that he would enforce the mandatary vaccination policy regardless of FDA approval status.

"There will be no mandatory vaccinations for my Marines," Gen. Berger said.

In a transcript of the call reviewed by Real Raw News, Gen. Berger lambasted Austin and branded him a traitor.

"Under no circumstances will Marines be compelled to take a potentially hazardous vaccination that the FDA won't even fully endorse," Gen. Berger told Austin. "You are a coward and a traitor, manipulated by people pushing bad policy on the men and women who provide security to our nation. Neither you nor your puppet president has authority to enforce such a policy."

Austin argued that mandatory vaccinations have always been a requirement for soldiers enlisting into the Armed Forces, and they, as property of the U.S. government, have no right to decide whether to take the Covid-19 jab. The federal government and President Biden would decide for them, Austin said.

"They're incapable of making informed decisions. So we, their leaders, make the big decisions they cannot," Austin said. "Biden and Harris are in charge, not individual soldiers."

Then Austin got political: "If conservatives and evangelicals see our fighting forces getting vaccinated, they'll be more likely to get vaccinated themselves," Austin said.