Military Flu Mandate Returns

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.