Military Flu Mandate Returns

Pentagon reverses course and restores mandatory flu shots after a base outbreak.

US Air Force requested to bring back mandatory flu shots weeks before basic training outbreak | CNN Politics

Pentagon restores mandatory flu shots for all recruits as boot camp outbreak sickens nearly 300

In shift, Pentagon grants flu vaccine exceptions to military services, some federal agencies

Summary

Mostly Center

A neutral summary of the key facts most outlets agree on, drawn from reporting across the political spectrum.

The Pentagon and military services are restoring mandatory flu shots for recruits after an influenza outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas sickened more than 220 basic trainees and hospitalized several. The reversal comes roughly two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made the long-standing flu vaccination requirement optional, ending a policy that had been in place for decades. The Army, Navy and Air Force are again requiring vaccinations for basic trainees, while the Army is also planning broader requirements for certain personnel such as overseas troops, first responders, prison staff, health care workers and child care workers. Officials said the Air Force had sought an exception to reinstate mandatory shots before or as the outbreak worsened, underscoring concerns that the voluntary policy left training bases vulnerable to rapid spread.

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Hegseth criticism

Commentary framed the outbreak as a political and policy setback for Pete Hegseth, arguing that his decision to scrap the vaccine mandate backfired as the services moved to reinstate flu shots for recruits.