Pete Hegseth Says The U.s. Military Will No Longer Require Flu Shots

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that nan U.S. subject will nary longer require each American troops to get nan flu vaccine, citing “medical autonomy” and belief freedom.

“The conception that a flu vaccine must beryllium mandatory for each work member, everywhere, successful each condition astatine each times is conscionable overly wide and not rational,” Hegseth said successful a video posted connected societal media.

He said American work members are free to get nan flu vaccine but will not beryllium forced to “because your body, your religion and your convictions are not negotiable.”

Hegseth’s directive does let for nan subject services to petition to support nan vaccine request successful place, according to a memo enacting nan argumentation posted online. It says nan services person 15 days to make those requests.

Vaccination programs successful nan U.S. subject day backmost to nan American Revolution. But they became a contentious governmental rumor during nan coronavirus pandemic, erstwhile much than 8,400 troops were forced retired of nan subject for refusing to obey nan 2021 instruction for nan COVID-19 vaccine. Thousands of others sought belief and aesculapian exemptions.

Congress agreed to rescind nan mandate, which nan Pentagon dropped successful January 2023, aft astir 99% of progressive work troops successful nan Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps had gotten nan vaccine, and 98% of those successful nan Army. The Guard and Reserve rates are little but mostly are much than 90%.

The Trump management past spent months crafting a argumentation to let work members who refused to return nan mandatory COVID-19 vaccine to reenter work pinch backmost pay. While only a mini fraction person taken nan Pentagon up connected nan caller policy, Hegseth’s squad has spent nan past respective months personally highlighting them.

The Pentagon stated successful March that 153 work members who were separated nether nan COVID-19 instruction had been reinstated aliases “re-accessed.”

The dropping of nan flu vaccine instruction follows what wellness officials said was a peculiarly terrible flu play erstwhile U.S. infections surged. Public wellness experts urge that everyone 6 months and older get an yearly influenza vaccine.

The Trump management has been moving to dial backmost vaccine recommendations. It stated earlier this twelvemonth that it will no longer recommend flu shots and immoderate different types of vaccines for each children, saying it’s a determination parents and patients should make successful consultation pinch their doctors. A national judge has temporarily blocked that effort arsenic a suit plays out.

The Congressional Research Service listed 8 mandatory vaccines for work members successful a 2021 report. They included vaccines for nan flu, polio and tetanus arsenic good arsenic nan bales and hepatitis A and B.

Service members could petition to opt retired of a vaccine request for belief reasons, nan study stated. But nan portion commandant was required to activity input from aesculapian and belief representatives, while besides counseling nan work personnel connected nan imaginable effect connected their expertise to deploy. A subject expert besides had to counsel nan work personnel connected nan benefits and risks of forgoing a required vaccination.

The Congressional Research Service noted that nan military instituted its first vaccination programme successful 1777 erstwhile Gen. George Washington directed nan inoculation of nan Continental Army to protect unit from smallpox.