In shift, Pentagon grants flu vaccine exceptions to military services, some federal agencies

The Pentagon has recently updated the guidance on the influenza vaccination, offering exceptions to policy to military services and select federal agencies.

The move follows a localized flu outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, that sickened over 220 trainees at Basic Military Training as of June 18. The New York Times reported that the Air Force exception request to vaccinate all trainees was approved following the outbreak.

The Air Force received an exception to vaccinate all trainees, a source familiar with the matter told Military Times. The Pentagon decline to say if all services will now require trainees to get a flu vaccine before Basic Military Training.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth discarded the mandatory flu vaccine requirement in April for all service members, making the vaccine optional for all active and reserve components and Pentagon civilian personnel.

The slight reversal allows all requested exceptions to be consolidated into Hegseth’s guidance, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to Military Times.

Following a review of the requests made by services, the Under Secretary of Personnel and Readiness Anthony Tata granted exceptions to policy, or ETPs, to the Department of the Army, Department of the Navy, Department of the Air Force, National Security Agency and Defense Health Agency.

Since the Marine Corps and Space Force are under the Department of the Navy and Department of the Air Force, respectively, they are also included in the policy exceptions.

The spokesman declined to comment on when the exceptions were requested and granted.

Parnell said that the exceptions granted are in line with standard Department of Defense practice for “adapting force health protection measures to critical operational realities.”

“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 in the statement.

A memo alerting DHA employees to the exception approval said that the request was made on April 29, just eight days after Hegseth announced the optional policy on April 21. All healthcare personnel and personnel in contact with DHA patients are required to receive the annual seasonal influenza vaccine, the memo reads.

The June 16 memo first circulated on the unofficial Air Force Facebook page Air Force amn/nco/snco on Wednesday. The Pentagon would not confirm nor deny the authenticity of the memo to Military Times.

The Army, Navy, Air Force, NSA and DHA are all responsible for implementing their ETPs, but it is unclear how it will be done.