Hegseth scraps mandatory flu shots for troops

Politics Pete Hegseth scraps mandatory flu shots for U.S. service members By Melissa Quinn Melissa Quinn Senior Reporter, Politics Melissa Quinn is a senior reporter for CBSNews.com, where she covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts. Read Full Bio Melissa Quinn Updated on: April 21, 2026 / 11:06 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that the Department of Defense will no longer mandate U.S. service members to receive the flu shot each year.In a video posted to X, Hegseth said troops will be free to choose whether to get vaccinated against the flu, and the shot will not be required by the Pentagon."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," he said.Hegseth said the decision to end the flu-vaccination mandate is part of the Trump administration's effort to "restore freedom and strength to our joint force.""We're seizing this moment to discard any absurd, overreaching mandates that only weaken our war-fighting capabilities. In this case, this includes the universal flu vaccine and the mandate behind it," he said.A memorandum signed by Hegseth on Monday states that "effective immediately, the annual influenza vaccine is voluntary for all Active and Reserve Component Service members" and civilians working for the Defense Department.The shift comes after the Pentagon began moving away from its requirement that all service members — active duty and reservists — receive a seasonal flu shot. In a May 29, 2025, memo, Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg wrote that the department would "conserve its resources by requiring seasonal flu vaccination for service members only when doing so most directly contributes to readiness." The directive states that only reserve troops activated for at least 30 days would be required to receive flu shots, a...