Airmen and Guardians in the Active and Reserve component, as well as civilian employees, in “mission critical and high-risk populations” are now required to receive influenza vaccinations annually to “preserve force readiness,” according to a recent Department of the Air Force memo.
The Oct. 20 memo, signed by Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Richard Anderson, directs personnel in six population categories get vaccinated for seasonal influenza:
- Recruits, training populations, and congregate living
- Rapid deployment forces and “no-fail” missions
- Deployed forces
- Health care personnel
- Civilian personnel in child development and youth services programs
- Air Mobility Command aircrew supporting U.S. Transportation Command taskings, enroute care personnel, and executive airlift personnel
The guidance memo, which was posted on the unofficial Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook page, comes more than three months after a flu outbreak at Air Force Basic Military Training left one recruit dead and infected more than 280 others at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.
An Air Force spokesperson confirmed the memo is authentic. Air Force Times was first to report on the memo.
Airmen and Guardians in deploying units should align their vaccinations with pre-deployment timelines. All other personnel included in the policy must be vaccinated no later than Dec. 15 annually, the memo states.
“For service members in the designated populations, vaccinations are a requirement; failure to comply may result in administrative or disciplinary action under the Uniform Code of Military Justice,” the memo states. The memo, however, adds that “commanders should consider using the lowest level of discipline … when evaluating options to address noncompliance, taking into consideration the circumstances of the noncompliance and previous disciplinary record of the Airman or Guardian.”
For civilian employees in the identified populations, flu vaccinations are considered a condition of employment, the memo states. Supervisors “should not take adverse action indecently” but should but address noncompliance through the “Civilian Personnel Section/Human Resources in coordination with Labor and Employee Relations,” the memo states.
The new guidance partially rolls back Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s April announcement that he was rescinding the mandate for Active-Duty troops and trainees to receive the annual flu vaccine. Hegseth said in a video posted on social media at the time that “the notion that a flu vaccine must be mandatory for every service member, everywhere, in every circumstance at all times is just overly broad and not rational.”
The Pentagon approved the Department of the Air Force exception-to-policy request on June 11, the memo states.
“The DAF requested an exemption to the voluntary policy to protect mission-critical and high-risk populations,” according to the memo. “The mandatory vaccination for these select groups [is] deemed essential to preserve force readiness, prevent illness, minimize lost duty days, and ensure the successful execution of DAF missions.”
Airmen, Guardians, and civilian personnel in the designated populations can submit requests for religious accommodations and medical exemptions for the flu vaccine mandate, the memo states, adding that personnel who have their request denied will have an opportunity to comply with the vaccination requirements.
The memo includes detailed descriptions of each population and in some cases offers examples where some personnel will be exempt from the requirement. For example, personnel that fall under the “recruits, training populations and congregate living” category are “excluded” if they are assigned to single-occupancy dorm rooms—such as permanent party—unless they are “assigned to or routinely perform duties in hig- risk environment.”
Another example in this population applies to Air University and other non-technical training organizations whose “primary mission is professional military education, doctrine, graduate education, and other non-technical instruction will not be included solely because they conduct resident education.”
It’s unclear what percentage of Department of the Air Force military and civilian personnel are now required to take the flu vaccine. After the flu outbreak at Lackland, only around 40 percent of Air Force trainees took the flu shot after Hegseth made it optional, The Associated Press reported. That’s a little lower than the 46.5 percent of American adults who got the shot this past flu season, according to the CDC.
Vaccine “hesitancy” has surged in recent years. A mandate in 2021 that all service members receive COVID-19 vaccinations fueled an intense political debate. Around 8,000 service members ultimately were separated for refusing the Pentagon’s mandate, and the Pentagon has taken steps to allow some members to return.
