Flu Shots Restored
Pentagon Reinstates Mandatory Flu Shots for Recruits After Outbreak Sickens Nearly 300
Anonymous
The Pentagon has reversed course and made flu shots mandatory again for all military recruits, just weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made the vaccine optional. The about-face comes as a flu outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas has sickened nearly 300 recruits, sent four to the hospital, and may be linked to the death of one trainee, according to ABC News.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced the reversal on June 24, framing it as a routine policy review rather than a direct response to the outbreak. But the timing is hard to ignore. The outbreak began shortly after Hegseth's April order — and only 40% of Lackland recruits chose to get the shot once it became optional, The New York Times reported.
Hegseth Made the Shot Optional in April
On April 20, Hegseth signed a memo ending a flu vaccine mandate that had been in place since 1945. He said mandates were "overly broad and not rational" and declared, "Your body, your faith and your convictions are not negotiable," according to The Guardian. The move was tied to broader backlash over COVID-19 vaccine mandates, which led to 8,400 troops being discharged under the Biden administration.
When Hegseth made the shot optional, he gave each military branch 15 days to request formal exemptions — called "exceptions to policy" — if they believed their mission required it. Those reviews were still underway when the Lackland outbreak began escalating in early June, Associated Press reported.
Nearly 300 Sick as Outbreak Grew Week by Week
The outbreak at Lackland started in early June. By June 18, at least 159 recruits had fallen ill. That number climbed to 222 by June 22, and hit nearly 300 by June 24, according to Military Times. Recruit Keon McDaniel died on June 16 after suffering a medical emergency in his sixth week of training. The Air Force is investigating whether flu caused his death.
Lackland is the Air Force's only boot camp. It processes about 700 new recruits every week — roughly 36,000 per year — according to The Washington Post. Recruits sleep in open dorms and share showers, conditions that experts say make disease spread fast. Dr. Jose Sanchez, a former official with the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center, told NPR that outbreaks of this scale are "very unusual" because the military traditionally maintained 100% vaccination rates.
Pentagon Says Reversal Was Already in the Works
Officials insist the mandate restoration had nothing to do with the outbreak. Parnell said the decision was based on "thorough risk assessments" and "critical operational realities," according to Task & Purpose. Under Secretary of Personnel Anthony Tata formally signed the exceptions that restored the requirement across the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps on June 24.
Critics are not buying the explanation. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Democrat whose district includes Lackland, called the original optional policy "reckless" and pressed the Pentagon for answers about McDaniel's death, according to San Antonio Express-News. Rep. Jason Crow, a former Army Ranger, said vaccines are key to "a fit and fighting force," The Washington Post reported.
What Comes Next for Military Vaccine Policy
For now, the restored mandate covers recruits only. But the Army is already preparing to expand it to troops deploying overseas, healthcare workers, and childcare staff, according to kolotv.com. The death of Keon McDaniel remains a potential legal flashpoint. If his autopsy confirms influenza, the Pentagon could face congressional hearings and possible lawsuits from his family.
The outbreak also cost the military in lost training time. Recruits who get sick are pulled from their training groups, which delays their graduation and pushes back their first assignments, The Washington Post reported. With Lackland processing hundreds of new airmen each week, even a brief outbreak can ripple through Air Force readiness for months.
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