Hegseth announces end to military flu vaccine requirement

War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the end of the Pentagon's mandatory flu vaccine requirement for U.S. troops, framing the policy shift as a restoration of personal freedom and a rollback of Biden-era mandates. The decision reverses a long-standing requirement, allowing service members to choose whether to receive the annual flu shot, and follows a 2025 memo that had already begun scaling back the mandate for some personnel.