U.S. Navy reinstates mandatory flu vaccine for deploying sailors, officer candidates

Published Jul 27, 04:58 PM UTC

The U.S. Navy has reinstated mandatory flu vaccination for deploying active-duty sailors, officer candidates (including OCS and Naval Academy), and certain civilian staff, effective immediately. This reverses part of a Pentagon-wide mandate removal from April 2025, which made the flu shot optional across all services. The Navy's new policy, announced via a NAVADMIN on Sunday, requires deployed sailors to be vaccinated before entering any theater or country with an active flu vaccine requirement. It also applies to Navy Reserve personnel in CBRN response roles, mobilized reservists, and healthcare workers. The move follows a June reversal by the Pentagon requiring all enlisted recruits to get the vaccine after an Air Force basic trainee died from flu-like symptoms and 200 others fell ill at a San Antonio boot camp, where only 40% of trainees had been vaccinated. The Navy cites readiness and mission impact as reasons for the mandate. Individual sailors may still seek medical or religious exemptions.