On Dec. 19, 2005, in a 2-year legal battle over the U.S. military’s anthrax vaccination program, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reaffirmed its earlier finding that the anthrax vaccine used by the military was safe and effective for preventing all forms of anthrax.

The Department of Defense (DoD) revived its mandatory anthrax vaccination program, which was stopped by a federal judge in October 2004. DoD had been giving the vaccine, called Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed (Biothrax), to military personnel on a voluntary basis since April.