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The Pentagon has directed boot camps for all military services to once again require flu vaccinations for new recruits, reversing a two-month halt on the mandate. The decision, confirmed by a Pentagon official to the Associated Press, comes amid a growing flu outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, that has sickened nearly 300 people.

Coverage Comparison

The Guardian reports that the flu vaccines now being deployed to basic training camps are set to expire on 30 June, and new doses will not arrive until August or later. Former armed forces health surveillance deputy chief Toti Sanchez said the manufacturing timeline means new doses are unlikely before late August, describing the schedule as "basically etched in stone."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ended mandatory flu vaccinations for the military at the end of April, citing "medical autonomy" and religious freedom. In a social media video, he said the move was part of discarding "absurd overreaching mandates" that weaken warfighting capabilities.

After the mandate was lifted, only about 40% of recruits opted to get vaccinated, according to air force officials. About 46% of adults in the general population were vaccinated against influenza during the 2025-26 cold season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Key Claims

  • The Pentagon has reinstated mandatory flu vaccinations for all recruits at boot camps across military services.
  • The decision was confirmed on Wednesday by a Pentagon official to the Associated Press, amid a weeks-long outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base that has sickened nearly 300 people.
  • The same official maintained that the decision to allow mandates was unrelated to the outbreak, saying the timing was coincidental.
  • Flu vaccines currently being deployed expire on 30 June, with new doses not expected until August or later.
  • At least 275 people have been sickened and four hospitalized in the Lackland outbreak.
  • A recruit, Keon McDaniel, died earlier this month after a medical emergency; the cause remains under investigation and has not been linked to the outbreak.
  • Recruits at Lackland live in communal settings, eating together and sleeping in dormitories, conditions conducive to airborne disease spread.
  • The base processes roughly 700 new recruits weekly.
Hegseth had allowed services to request exceptions to continue mandatory vaccinations within 15 days of the April decision. According to the Pentagon official, those requests were being finalized earlier in June, before the outbreak reached its current scale.

Democratic congressman Joaquin Castro, whose district includes the base, said in a social media post that the outbreak has produced 275 confirmed flu cases. Castro noted the outbreak is now roughly three weeks old.

Air force officials said recruits at Lackland had been ordered to be vaccinated against the flu as part of containment efforts, according to the New York Times. The Guardian was directed to the air force press office, which did not immediately respond.