Under this year’s influenza vaccination guidelines, the Marine Corps will continue to follow Defense Department policy, which requires flu shots for some military personnel while making them optional for most others.
The Aug. 21 announcement requires vaccinations for specific groups of Marines, including new recruits, healthcare workers and those deploying or serving on hazardous response teams.
The mandates mark a notable change from last year’s guidelines, which required all active-duty service members to receive a vaccination or obtain an approved exemption.
In April, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, citing “medical autonomy” and religious freedom, repealed flu vaccine mandates for all branches of the military.
“Our men and women in uniform were forced to choose between their conscience and their country even when those decisions posed no threat to our military readiness,” he said in his video announcement, adding that mandating troops get flu vaccines “weaken[s] our warfighting capabilities.”
About two months later, however, a flu outbreak that sickened some 300 people and killed one at Lackland Air Force Base, where the Air Force hosts its boot camp, forced the Defense Department to modify the policy.
Critics of Hegseth’s policy have maintained that vaccination policies should be guided by scientific evidence rather than political beliefs.
Robert H. Hopkins, a physician and medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, said getting an annual flu vaccine is the best way to prevent the spread of the potentially life-threatening disease.
“For populations in close living and working environments, such as military personnel, flu can spread quickly and impact operational readiness. Maintaining high vaccination coverage is a proven strategy to reduce outbreaks and protect both individuals and communities,” he said in response to Hegseth’s initial decision.
The new Marine Corps guidelines appear to acknowledge at least some of those concerns.
In the announcement, the Marine Corps calls seasonal influenza “a highly contagious disease that has the potential to significantly impact force health and mission readiness.” The service adds that “a timely comprehensive vaccination program” will be enforced “to mitigate risk to force and mission.”
Last month, the Navy also updated its policy to mandate that select groups obtain a flu vaccine. Those groups include recruits, personnel involved with or attending training programs, medical personnel, hazardous response teams, and those on deployment.
The Marine Corps wants its active-duty component to be in compliance by Dec. 15. Marines entering one of the covered categories must receive their vaccination within 30 days of their report date.
Daniel Terrill is a contributor to Military Times. He’s been reporting on military issues, the gun industry, and the outdoors for nearly two decades. Although writing is his passion, he’s been a Marine, police officer, and, perhaps the most dangerous job of his career, a substitute teacher.
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