US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that he has signed an order to eliminate the requirement for flu vaccination in the Army, as he considers it lacking. “rationality” and deny the “religious convictions” of people.
“Under the disastrous Biden administration, the Pentagon has waged a relentless war against our soldiers on many fronts, including denying their basic medical autonomy and freedom to express their religious convictions,” he said in a video posted on social media.
Hegseth these que “the idea of the flu vaccine being mandatory for all military service members everywhere, in all circumstances and at all times is too general and lacks rationality”.
As he highlighted: “If you, the (North) American soldier charged with defending this nation, believe that the vaccine is useful to you, then you are free to take it. You shouldn’t, but we won’t force you, because your body, your faith and your convictions are non-negotiable when it comes to your health.”
This comes after the Department of Health published an update to the childhood vaccination schedule in January which includes a reduction in recommendations on rotavirus, meningococcus and influenza.
O Trump administration took several measures against vaccinessuch as the withdrawal of the recommendation regarding covid-19 for healthy children and pregnant women, as well as the one regarding hepatitis B for newborns in the country, in force since 1991.
All of this comes after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – who has repeatedly questioned the effectiveness of vaccines – fired 17 technicians from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccination committee (CDC, its acronym in English), for an alleged “conflict of interest” and replace them with defenders of Trump positions.
Nine former CDC leaders reported in September 2025 that Kennedy Jr. was putting “in danger” the health of all (North) Americans by prioritizing its anti-scientific and anti-vaccine positions after the dismissal of its director, Susan Monarez.
