Oct. 4 (UPI) -- The Pentagon on Monday ordered all Department of Defense civilian employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by no later than Nov. 22. Department of Defense civilian employees are eligible to receive the vaccine at any Department of Defense vaccination site, Hicks said in the memo. "Vaccinating DoD civilian employees against COVID-19 will save lives and allow for the defense of our Nation," she wrote. According to Department of Defense statistics, as of the end of September, more than 46,500 Pentagon civilian employees have been partially vaccinated against the pandemic with another nearly 318,000 being fully vaccinated. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management states there are 676,840 civilian employees under the Department of Defense.