Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that the military will not require troops to get the annual flu vaccine — a requirement he described as “denying them simple medical autonomy.”
In a video posted on X, Hegseth said service members were previously forced to “choose between their conscience and their country,” describing the Biden administration as an “era of betrayal.”
“We’re seizing this moment to discard any absurd, overreaching mandates that only weaken our war-fighting capabilities,” Hegseth said. “In this case, this includes the universal flu vaccine and the mandate behind it. The notion that a flu vaccine must be mandatory for every service member everywhere in every circumstance at all times — it’s just overly broad and not rational.”