Military Drops Flu Vaccine Mandate, Emphasizes Personal Choice

0:00It's April 21st. Welcome in. This is Dallas News today, where local news meets AI. I'm Corey with the story. Secretary of War Pete Hakeseth just made a big move, announcing that the flu vaccine is now optional for all military members. This policy shift took effect immediately through a new memo from the Department of War, dropping what he called an overly broad requirement. He tied his straight back to the COVID days when over 8,000 troops got discharged under the Biden administration for refusing that vaccine. Mandate. Hakeseth said no more forcing service members to pick between their conscience and their country. Troops who want the flu shot can still get it if they believe it's right for them, but nobody's getting pushed into it anymore. This lines up with recent reversals on the COVID vaccine policy, where those discharge folks started getting offers to return with back pay. Meanwhile, the bigger picture shows the Trump team scaling back vaccine pushes elsewhere too. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cut recommendations for

1:00several childhood shots earlier this year, like flu and hepatitis, but a federal. Judge hit pause on that last month over procedure issues. These changes signal a real pivot in how the military and health officials handle vaccine rules, putting personal choice front and center moving forward.