Vaccine mandates for federal defense contractors will adversely impact national security, according to U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).

Alabama’s junior senator on Tuesday penned a letter to President Joe Biden urging the commander-in-chief to halt the implementation of vaccine mandates for federal defense contractors.

The senator said that should Biden’s vaccine decree stay in place for those who provide contracting services to the federal government for vital defense operations, U.S. national security would stand to be placed at risk as a result.

“I share your desire to see our country through the COVID-19 pandemic as quickly as possible, and, I—like you—have elected to take the vaccine,” wrote Tuberville. “But your administration’s mandate is short-sighted, ill-conceived, and threatens our national security.”

The Yellowhammer State is home to thousands of defense contractors. As such, Tuberville warned that the state’s robust defense industry would be harmed as a result of the mandate.

“[T]he American warfighter is ultimately harmed when skilled workers leave the defense contractor workforce, a foreseeable consequence of your Order,” the freshman senator advised. “In 2020, more than 98,000 federal contracts of all types were awarded to contractors in my state of Alabama, which is home to more than 5,000 contractors who support the Department of Defense.”

The letter continued, “Many of these firms are small, employing fewer than 100 workers but hiring a disproportionately high share of veterans. Together, they provide capabilities to the Pentagon that are often difficult to replicate. Losing any sizable share of a small firms’ workforce means a direct reduction in the ‘economy and efficiency’ that your Order purports to seek to advance. When these firms are unable to perform, our country is at risk.”

As adversaries of the United States continue to display their willingness to increase military capabilities, Tuberville noted that if mandates remain in place for the nation’s defense industry, the ability to confront these challenges would be stifled.

“It is quite possible that your mandate will result in individuals leaving the workforce to avoid the vaccine, thus, resulting in increased worker absences and labor costs, and decreased efficiency,” Tuberville insisted. “During this time of increasing worry about the technological advances of near-peer adversaries, we should focus on policies that will ensure our national security interests are protected. This Order does the opposite.”

Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL