Hegseth Formally Ends Mandatory Flu Shots For U.S. Troops In Policy Shift
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Defense Secretary Jared Hegseth formally ended the Pentagon's mandatory flu vaccination policy for U.S. troops and Defense Department civilians Monday.
A memorandum signed Monday makes the annual influenza vaccine voluntary for all Active and Reserve Component service members and Defense Department civilians, effective immediately.
Hegseth gave each military service 15 days to request keeping a requirement, and he said the mandate infringed on medical autonomy and religious freedom.
In public remarks and a video on X he called a blanket flu-vaccine mandate "overly broad and not rational" and described previous policy as "absurd, overreaching."