The military has resumed requiring flu vaccines for some service members after an outbreak of influenza among trainees at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. (Andrew Garavito/U.S. Air Force)
WASHINGTON — The military has resumed requiring flu vaccines for some service members after an outbreak of influenza among trainees at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lifted the annual flu vaccine requirement in April.
Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman and a senior adviser to Hegseth, said in a statement that Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Anthony Tata has granted exceptions to the Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as the National Security Agency and the Defense Health Agency.
“The decisions were based upon thorough risk assessments and are designed to maximize operational readiness, lethality and force generation, while safeguarding at-risk populations,” Parnell said. “The department remains committed to the health and readiness of our warfighters and civilian personnel.”
The statement said that the services and departments are responsible for implementation. It is unclear how the exceptions will be implemented.
The Army, Navy and Air Force are requiring flu vaccines for basic trainees, ABC News reported.
The decision comes as 275 trainees at Lackland Air Force Base have contracted influenza.
The Air Force confirmed an influenza outbreak has affected the 37th Training Wing at Lackland over the past three weeks. Each year, more than 36,000 recruits come through the unit.
Keon McDaniel, a trainee in his sixth week of basic training, died last week after experiencing a medical emergency on June 12 and was transferred to Brooke Army Medical Center. The cause of the medical emergency involving McDaniel remains under investigation, and a comprehensive medical review is underway, the Air Force said in a statement.
In April, Hegseth issued the guidance making the annual influenza vaccine voluntary for all active and reserve component service members and DOD civilian personnel.
“We’re seizing this moment to discard any absurd, overreaching mandates that only weaken our warfighting capabilities,” Hegseth said in a video posted on X.
The U.S. military dates its flu vaccine requirement to 1945.
Hegseth’s revision is at odds with long-standing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, which recommends, with rare exceptions, that everyone 6 months and older get the shot every flu season.
“The current flu outbreak at Lackland AFB is a reminder that military readiness is not abstract,” Jerome Adams, the U.S. Surgeon General during President Donald Trump’s first term, posted on X. “Young recruits in basic training are especially vulnerable in group settings. History shows public health measures in the military have long been treated as a force-protection issue, not just personal choice.”
