On Oct. 31, 2026, 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 U.S. 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.