Pete Hegseth criticized over flu announcement

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday the military will end its annual flu vaccine requirement, criticizing the mandate as "absurd, overreaching" and claiming it "weakens our war-fighting capabilities."

Hegseth explained the policy change respects individual choice, adding, "your body, your faith and your convictions are not negotiable."

The decision drew widespread criticism on social media from military historians, public health experts, and commentators who pointed to historical examples of disease devastating military forces.

Critics cited the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, which killed 64,000 American soldiers at Fort Reilly, Kansas — more than the 53,000 killed in combat during World War I.

On Bluesky, global affairs analyst Olga Nesterova referenced the Spanish flu, and writer Adam Serwer called Hegseth "absolutely the dumbest secretary of defense the United States has ever had."

Former Defense Department employee Jamie Piscitelli called the decision "abject, imbecillic stupidity," noting disease has historically killed more soldiers than combat.

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