On May 29, Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg wrote a memo ordering that reserve troops must be on active duty for thirty days or more before “being required to get an annual flu shot.” The memo effectively punishes troops for getting vaccinated, as National Guardsmen and reservists will no longer be paid when they get vaccinated on their own time.
There are also new exemptions for reservists. The Pentagon has also claimed that vaccinations are “only necessary in some circumstances for all service members…” Regardless of the changes, the memo comes across as contradictory:
At the Pentagon, the flu shot memo declared that “going forward, the Department will conserve its resources by requiring seasonal flu vaccination for Service members only when doing so most directly contributes to readiness.” However, the document is not clear about the changes because it later says the annual requirement for active-duty troops is still in effect.
MilitaryTimes
The memo was largely unknown until Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reposed a comment that opposed flu shot mandates.
Increased susceptibility to the flu will effect military readiness. This story illustrates that, not only is Hegseth politicizing the Defense Department, he is allowing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s superstitions regarding vaccines shape Pentagon policy.
