{"id":677,"date":"2026-06-25T16:43:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T16:43:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=677"},"modified":"2026-06-25T16:43:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T16:43:52","slug":"military-changes-voluntary-flu-vaccine-guidance-after-boot-camp-outbreak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=677","title":{"rendered":"Military Changes Voluntary Flu Vaccine Guidance After Boot Camp Outbreak"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>The U.S. military will change guidance issued by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that <span><u>made the flu vaccination voluntary<\/u><\/span> for service members and the department\u2019s civilian personnel.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=675\">Top General\u2019s Early Exit Shows Hegseth\u2019s \u2018Paranoia,\u2019 Tillis says<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The reinstatement of the vaccine requirement comes on the heels of a weekslong flu outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, where at least 275 people have fallen ill. Around 60% of previously unvaccinated recruits declined to receive the flu shot following Hegseth\u2019s April announcement, <span><u>CNN reported<\/u><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>A recruit at Lackland <span><u>died on June 16<\/u><\/span> after a \u201cmedical emergency\u201d days before, though it\u2019s unclear whether he died as a result of the flu outbreak.<\/p>\n<p>Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement that the department is granting exceptions to the Hegseth-led changes to vaccination policy for the Army, Navy, Air Force, National Security Agency and Defense Health Agency \u201cfollowing a comprehensive review of these requests.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Each military branch, none of which responded to NOTUS\u2019 requests for comment, could decide how to implement the policy change. It is unclear whether they will require the annual flu vaccine for all service members, boot camp recruits only or other personnel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe decisions were based upon thorough risk assessments and are designed to maximize operational readiness, lethality, and force generation, while safeguarding at-risk populations,\u201d Parnell said.<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth said in a <span><u>video posted to X<\/u><\/span> in April that the flu vaccine requirement denied troops \u201csimple medical autonomy\u201d and forced them to \u201cchoose between their conscience and their country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=673\">Supreme Court Greenlights Turning Away Asylum-Seekers at the Border<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe notion that a flu vaccine must be mandatory for every service member everywhere in every circumstance at all times \u2014 it\u2019s just overly broad and not rational,\u201d Hegseth said.<\/p>\n<p>The defense secretary made the flu vaccine voluntary for all active and reserve service members and civilian personnel in the department in a .<\/p>\n<p>The services had 15 days to ask for exceptions to the policy after Hegseth\u2019s announcement, which would permit them to keep the vaccine mandatory.<\/p>\n<p>At the time, some Republican lawmakers sharply criticized the policy reversal. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, who chairs the Committee on Armed Services, said Hegseth made a \u201cmistake.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In May 2025, the Defense Department revised guidelines around the seasonal flu vaccine, requiring it \u201conly when doing so most directly contributes to readiness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=671\">The Supreme Court Deals MAHA a Loss on Pesticides<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Defense Department received requests for exceptions to Secretary Pete Hegseth\u2019s April policy that made the annual vaccine optional.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":676,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-defense"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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