War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that the U.S. military will no longer force service members to receive the annual influenza vaccine, framing the decision as a matter of personal choice, medical autonomy, and religious freedom.
In a video posted to social media, Hegseth said the long-standing, blanket requirement for flu shots across all branches and circumstances no longer made sense.
“The notion that a flu vaccine must be mandatory for every service member, everywhere, in every circumstance at all times is just overly broad and not rational,” he said.
A memo formalizing the policy makes clear the change is not absolute. Individual military services will have 15 days to request that the requirement remain in place for specific populations or circumstances.
Health data suggests most active-duty personnel fall outside the groups considered most vulnerable to severe influenza. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those at highest risk include young children, adults over 65, and individuals with underlying health conditions—categories that generally do not include the bulk of the military.
Hegseth said the move was part of a broader effort to roll back excessive mandates.
“We’re seizing this moment to discard any absurd, overreaching mandates that only weaken our war-fighting capabilities,” he said. “In this case, this includes the universal flu vaccine and the mandate behind it.”
Under the new policy, he added, the decision will rest with individual service members.
“Our new policy is simple: If you, an American warrior, entrusted to defend this nation, believe that the flu vaccine is in your best interest, then you are free to take it. You should,” Hegseth said. “But we will not force you. Because your body, your faith and your convictions are not negotiable.”
Hegseth opened his remarks by referencing the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which he said forced troops “to choose between their conscience and their country.”
More than 8,400 service members were discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine. Only 43 later re-enlisted under the Biden administration, a period during which overall force numbers declined to their lowest level since World War II.
In some cases, discharged unvaccinated troops were required to repay enlistment bonuses. One service member, for example, sold 60 days of accrued leave to repay most of a $7,000 bonus after being dismissed for refusing the shots.
Recruitment trends have shifted more recently. Under the Trump administration, enlistment numbers have begun to rebound, and Hegseth has invited previously discharged, unvaccinated troops to return to service, offering back pay and a formal apology from the government.
The new flu vaccine policy has drawn criticism from legacy media outlets, including the Associated Press, which emphasized the long history of vaccine mandates in the U.S. military—often tracing them back to the American Revolutionary War.
In 1777, George Washington ordered widespread smallpox inoculation for Continental Army troops. At the time, smallpox was one of the deadliest diseases in the world, with mortality rates that could reach 20–30% or higher in some outbreaks. The practice Washington mandated—known as variolation—was itself risky, intentionally exposing individuals to a controlled form of the virus, but it was seen as far less dangerous than natural infection.
By contrast, influenza is far less lethal for the typical military-age population at an estimated 0.0019% risk of death.
Modern flu vaccines are also designed differently: rather than provide immunity, they primarily aim to reduce the severity of illness and the risk of complications, and do not necessarily prevent infection or transmission.
Looking forward to not receiving a mandatory flu shot when I retire after being forced to take it for 42 years working in a hospital
The last people who should be getting them is the "vulnerable". My God with these people. Just mass murderers.