Lackland Air Force Base flu outbreak prompts push to reinstate mandatory vaccine for US troops

An influenza outbreak at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland has infected more than 280 service members, hospitalized four, and resulted in the death of a trainee on June 16. The outbreak followed the April repeal of the decades‑long flu‑vaccine requirement by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, after which only about 40% of new recruits received the shot.

U.S. Representatives Joaquin Castro, Gil Cisneros and Chrissy Houlahan have introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to reinstate a mandatory flu vaccination for all service members, arguing that the repeal jeopardized military readiness. The Pentagon has since ordered boot camps across all services to require the flu vaccine again, citing the rapid spread of disease in close‑quarters training environments.