The US Department of War (formerly known as the Department of Defense from 1947-2025) has announced that the influenza vaccine will no longer be a strict necessity for service members, depending on certain circumstances.
Prior to this policy adjustment, the US Navy stated that “Seasonal vaccination is the primary control measure to reduce the risk of severe influenza and mission degradation, minimizing the risk to force. Department of Defense (DoD) policy mandates that all Active Duty and Reserve Component personnel be immunized against influenza annually.”
However, a May 29 memo, written by Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, resurfaced this week, containing new guidance for the US military that lessens the requirement.
According to the Associated Press, the resurfacing of the memo came from a repost by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth of a remark from a service member who said he “won’t be forced to get a flu shot this fall for the privilege of serving my state and country in the National Guard.”
The memo further confirms, “Going forward the Department will conserve its resources by requiring seasonal flu vaccination for Service members only when doing so most directly contributes to readiness.”
The guidance has been revised to the following language, according to the memo. Notably, a mention is made of a medical or administrative exemption for active and reserve service members. The immunization will be mandatory only in the event of an outbreak or pandemic.
“All Active Component Service members are required to receive the annual seasonal influenza immunization or obtain an exemption (i.e. medical or administrative). Reserve Component Service members activated for 30 consecutive days or more are required to receive the seasonal influenza immunization or obtain an exemption. During an outbreak pandemic influenza immunizations will be required or recommended as appropriate depending on the immunization regulatory status at the time of the outbreak …”
