"As many of you know, President Biden instructed me to consider how and when we can include vaccination against the disease caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the list of mandatory for all military personnel," TASS quoted Lloyd as saying.
He said that he had consulted with experts on this issue.
According to the minister, he intends to "seek the president's approval to make vaccination mandatory" for all soldiers and officers.
As specified, the request will be submitted "no later than mid-September."
Earlier, the US Department of Defense introduced a requirement for military and civilian personnel to be vaccinated against coronavirus or regularly tested for the presence of COVID-19.