WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) - The Pentagon will no longer require members of the U.S. military to get the flu vaccine, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday.
"We're seizing this moment to discard any absurd, overreaching mandates that only weaken our warfighting capabilities. In this case, this includes the universal flu vaccine and the mandate behind it," Hegseth said in a video posted on X.
"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."
The decision scraps the public health requirement at a time when the Trump administration has broadly moved to scale back federal vaccine recommendations, including those for children.
The military rescinded a COVID-19 vaccine mandate in 2023, after former President Joe Biden in 2021 ordered members of the U.S. armed forces to get vaccinated over the objections of Republicans. Thousands of service members were discharged for refusing to get vaccinated.
There are about 1.3 million active-duty service members. There are more than 750,000 additional members of the National Guard and Reserve.
The World Health Organization recommends the flu shot for those 6 months and older.
Vaccine makers Sanofi, CSL Seqirus, GSK and AstraZeneca were not immediately available for comment.
Hegseth said that under the new policy, those who wished to get the vaccine would remain free to do so, but said: "We will not force you."
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis; Additional reporting by Michael Erman; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
