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U.S. Navy reinstates mandatory flu shots for deploying sailors, officer candidates
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The U.S. Navy has reinstated mandatory flu vaccinations for deploying active-duty sailors, officer candidates (including those at Officer Candidate School and the U.S. Naval Academy), and certain civilian staff, effective immediately. The policy, announced via a NAVADMIN on Sunday, reverses a Pentagon-wide mandate removal from April 2025 by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The requirement also applies to Navy Reserve personnel in CBRN response roles, mobilized reservists on Title 10 orders, and healthcare workers. The move follows a June backtrack by the Pentagon after an Air Force basic trainee died and 200 others fell ill in a flu outbreak at a San Antonio boot camp, where only 40% of trainees were vaccinated. Units must ensure compliance by January 15. Exemptions for medical or religious reasons remain available. The policy aims to prevent outbreaks that degrade readiness and disrupt deployments.
Source report
The U.S. Navy has reinstated flu vaccine requirements for deploying sailors, new recruits, and certain civilian employees — just three months after the Pentagon removed the mandate across the entire force.
The policy, announced Sunday and effective immediately, makes flu shots mandatory for:
- Deployed active duty sailors
- Trainees in "officer accession programs," including Officer Candidate School and the U.S. Naval Academy
- Directly commissioned officers
- Navy Reserve sailors in Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Enhanced Response roles
- Reservists mobilized on Title 10 orders directed by the President
- Personnel involved in direct or indirect patient care
The requirement is outlined in a Navy administrative notice, or NAVADMIN.
It remains unclear how many sailors will be affected. Units under the order have until Jan. 15 to ensure their personnel have received the vaccine.
Reversal of Pentagon Policy
The move is the latest piecemeal reversal of an April order by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, which made the flu vaccine optional for service members — ending a requirement that dated back to World War II.
The Pentagon began backtracking in June, requiring all enlisted recruits across every service to receive the vaccine after an Air Force basic trainee died of flu-like symptoms during an outbreak at the Air Force's boot camp in San Antonio, Texas. The outbreak also sickened 200 other trainees. According to reports from The New York Times and ABC News, only 40% of trainees had received the vaccine after it became optional.
Rationale and Scope
"The influenza vaccine is highly encouraged to prevent outbreaks that can degrade unit readiness, disrupt training schedules, and deployment execution, which adversely impacts mission," the NAVADMIN states.
Deployed sailors must receive the vaccine "prior to entering any theater or country that has an active influenza vaccination requirement." Navy officials did not immediately respond to inquiries about which countries do or do not apply.
The mandate also applies to Navy civilian staff who run initial entry training, healthcare personnel with direct patient care, and workers at base daycares or other youth service programs.
Exemptions
The NAVADMIN notes that individual sailors may still pursue vaccine exemptions for medical or administrative reasons, such as religious accommodations.
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U.S. Navy Reinstates Mandatory Flu Vaccine for Deploying Sailors and Trainees