Flu Outbreak After Mandate

A flu outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio has sickened at least 159 Air Force recruits in basic training, with two hospitalizations reported. The outbreak spread through the 37th Training Wing weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ended the military’s longstanding annual flu vaccine requirement, saying service members should have more bodily autonomy. Base officials said the 37th Training Wing and 59th Medical Wing are managing the localized outbreak among trainees, while the timing has drawn scrutiny because recruits live and train in close quarters. The cases have revived debate over whether dropping mandatory vaccination increases health risks and readiness problems in military training environments.