Nearly 160 sick with flu at US air force base after Hegseth ends mandatory vaccines

An outbreak of influenza has affected over 150 trainees at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, just weeks after a policy change by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ended mandatory flu vaccination for the armed forces.

In an April social media video, Hegseth stated that the move was part of discarding "absurd overreaching mandates" that weaken warfighting capabilities, emphasizing that "your body, your faith and your convictions are not negotiable." Following the policy shift, only about 40% of recruits opted to receive the flu vaccine, according to Air Force officials.

The outbreak has sickened at least 159 individuals, as reported by the New York Times and ABC News. For comparison, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that roughly 46% of U.S. adults received flu shots during the 2025-26 cold season.

Lackland is part of Joint Base San Antonio, a large installation home to about 70,000 service members. Recruits at Lackland live in communal settings—eating together and sleeping in dormitories—which are known to be vulnerable to the spread of airborne illnesses.

It remains unclear whether a recent death of a basic military trainee is linked to the outbreak. Keon McDaniel died on June 16 after experiencing a "medical emergency"; the cause of death is under investigation, according to an Air Force press release.

In response to the outbreak, Air Force officials have ordered recruits at Lackland to receive flu vaccinations as part of containment measures, the New York Times reported. A Pentagon spokesperson directed inquiries to the Air Force press office, which did not immediately respond.