Pentagon partially rolls back voluntary flu vaccine policy

The Pentagon has partially backpedaled on its voluntary flu vaccine policy, which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in April, handing at least some control of vaccine policy back to the services.

The reversal appears to underlie a series of exemptions issued by the Pentagon to Hegseth’s recent announcement that flu vaccines are voluntary for all troops. Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed that exemptions to the order had been issued to all four services. How those exemptions would be implemented was unclear, but ABC News reported on Tuesday that basic trainees would now again be required to get flu shots.

A Navy official confirmed to Task & Purpose on Wednesday that the service requires the flu vaccine for boot camp.

“Navy recruit training currently includes the Influenza vaccine as an exception to policy approved by the Under Secretary of War,” the official said.

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The move comes after an Air Force basic trainee died of flu-like symptoms on June 16 and after a U.S. Congressman said that over 200 basic trainees were sick at the service’s San Antonio, Texas boot camp. The New York Times and ABC News both reported that only 40% of trainees at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas had received the flu vaccine since it had become optional under Hegseth’s order.

An Air Force spokesperson at Lackland told Task & Purpose that base officials are continuing to manage a flu outbreak.

“Over the last three weeks, the 37th Training Wing, in close coordination with the 59th Medical Wing, has been managing a localized influenza outbreak among trainees at Basic Military Training,” an Air Force spokesperson said. “Medical professionals and Public Health officials have implemented mitigation measures to isolate and treat symptomatic trainees to reduce further exposure and continue to monitor the situation.”

Undersecretary of Personnel and Readiness Anthony Tata has granted exceptions to the flu vaccine policy to the Department of the Army, Department of the Navy, which includes the Marine Corps, Department of the Air Force, which the Space Force falls under, National Security Agency, and Defense Health Agency, Parnell said in a statement to Task & Purpose.

“The decisions were based upon thorough risk assessments and are designed to maximize operational readiness, lethality, and force generation, while safeguarding at-risk populations,” Parnell said.

The Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, National Security Agency, and Defense Health Agency are responsible for implementing the exceptions, Parnell said.

Parnell’s statement did not include any specific information about what the exceptions to policy cover. ABC News has reported that as part of the exceptions, the services are requiring that recruits services are requiring that recruits get flu shots for boot camp.

A Lackland official did confirm that “symptomatic trainees are receiving the appropriate care with antiviral medications such as Tamiflu.” Tamiflu is an anti-viral medicine used to treat flu symptoms, but is not a vaccine.

UPDATE: 06/24.2026; this story has been updated with a statement from a Navy official.