WASHINGTON — Like protective equipment issued to troops downrange, the H1N1 flu vaccine is a measure the Defense Department is taking to safeguard U.S. military forces, a defense official said today.

“We use other treatment modalities to protect people in the same way we use body armor to protect against other threats,” said Ellen P. Embrey, acting assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.

“The H1N1 vaccine was purchased specifically for our uniformed service members so they could continue to perform their mission anywhere on the globe,” she continued. “And during a pandemic, that’s a real threat.”

Officials at the department, which received initial allotments of the vaccine last week, said doses will be distributed in coming weeks according to a prioritized list of recipients. Vaccines first will be made available to deployed personnel, bases that receive new military accessions, such as basic training installations and the service academies, and all health-care workers assigned to military medical treatment facilities.

Immunization for both seasonal flu and H1N1 is mandatory for all military personnel and is highly recommended for beneficiaries.

“Our system to manufacture and distribute, and then put shots in arms, is the priority of the government. And [the Defense Department] has been participating with HHS very closely to ensure that we acquire sufficient vaccine to protect the U.S. military’s ability to perform its mission globally,” Embrey said, referring to the Health and Human Services Department.

Embrey noted that the department has long used vaccinations — against anthrax, small pox and seasonal flu, for example — to protect the force and preserve its ability to perform its mission.