Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that the Department of Defense will no longer mandate annual flu shots for U.S. service members, making the vaccine voluntary for all personnel according to multiple reports.
Key Takeaways
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the Department of Defense will no longer mandate annual flu shots for U.S. service members. The decision makes the vaccine voluntary for active duty, reserve component, and civilian personnel.
- Pentagon ends mandatory flu vaccination policy
- Decision applies to all service members and DoD civilians
- Hegseth frames move as restoring personal freedom and military readiness
- Policy shift follows earlier partial rollback of flu shot requirements
The decision applies to active duty, reserve component, and civilian personnel working for the Defense Department. In a video posted to X, Hegseth described the previous mandate as "overly broad" and "not rational," framing the policy change as part of an effort to restore personal freedom and military readiness.
According to CBS News, Hegseth stated that service members would be free to choose whether to get vaccinated against the flu. The shift comes after the Pentagon began moving away from its requirement that all service members receive a seasonal flu shot in May 2025. A memo signed by Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg indicated that the department would require seasonal flu vaccination only when it most directly contributes to readiness.
The Guardian reported that Hegseth's announcement appears to go further than an earlier policy shift disclosed last fall, which had softened the flu shot requirement for some troops. The new policy ends the universal mandate altogether, marking a sharp break from past policy according to Fox News.
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