Patricia Kime, Military Times ; Flu vaccine requirement discarded ‘effective immediately,’ Hegseth says
"The U.S. military will no longer require service members to get an annual flu shot according to a post Tuesday by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the social media platform X.
Hegseth said the mandatory flu vaccine requirement has been discarded “effective immediately.”
“The War Department is once again restoring freedom to our Joint Force,” the secretary wrote.
The flu vaccine has been required annually for U.S. military personnel since the 1950s to preserve the health of the force, and generally, the Defense Department has aimed to inoculate more than 90% of active-duty personnel.
The program has been a major factor in lower rates of hospitalizations among service members than national U.S. rates, according to an October 2025 Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division report."
