Scores Fall Ill at Air Force Base After Hegseth Makes Flu Vaccine Optional

[SamuelTheThird]

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/18/us/flu-outbreak-air-force-base.html#:~:text=A%20major%20flu%20outbreak%20has,the%20flu%2C%20defense%20officials%20said.

A major flu outbreak has sickened nearly 160 troops at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas less than two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that U.S. troops would no longer be required to be vaccinated for the flu, defense officials said.

The outbreak at the base in San Antonio raced through an Air Force Basic Military Training wing, where new recruits sleep on bunk beds in open bays and share meals at large communal tables.

A trainee in his sixth week of basic training died after falling ill on Friday and being taken to Brooke Army Medical Center, the Air Force said in a news release. It was not immediately clear whether the death of the trainee, Keon McDaniel, was related to the flu outbreak.

[hlthe2b]

1. One died after falling ill on Friday... hmmm maybe influenza, maybe heat stroke, maybe both

I would hope we would find out the cause, regardless.

[mwmisses4289]

2. Are they sure it isn't covid?

I mean, all my life doctors and pundits have claimed flu outbreaks can't happen in warmer weather, despite evidence to the contrary.

[LisaL]

7. Presumably they tested for whatever that is.

NT

[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. MaddowBlog-Two months after Hegseth's regressive move, Air Force base faces major flu outbreak

Eight weeks after flu vaccines became optional in the armed forces, we’re already seeing the consequences of the Pentagon chief’s shortsighted policy.

Two months after Hegseth’s regressive move, Air Force base faces major flu outbreak
Eight weeks after flu vaccines became optional in the armed forces, we’re already seeing the consequences of the Pentagon chief’s shortsighted policy.

www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— NanNan🦋 🇺🇦❤️🇵🇸 🏳️‍🌈 👵🇬🇱🐾 (@nan-nanlovesme.bsky.social) 2026-06-18T20:55:48.657Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/hegseth-vaccines-air-force-base-flu-outbreak

While service members could voluntarily get a flu vaccine, Hegseth decided to reverse the military’s longstanding policy and end the requirement as a condition of service.

The change led to a variety of questions, including the obvious one: How long would it take before this misguided, regressive and unnecessary decision backfired on the armed forces? The answer, it turns out, is not quite two months. The New York Times reported:

A major flu outbreak has sickened nearly 160 troops at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas less than two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that U.S. troops would no longer be required to be vaccinated for the flu, defense officials said.

The outbreak at the base in San Antonio raced through an Air Force Basic Military Training wing, where new recruits sleep on bunk beds in open bays and share meals at large communal tables.

The Times’ report noted that one trainee in his sixth week of basic training died after falling ill late last week, although the exact cause of death is still under investigation.

The report added that only about 40% of Air Force trainees have opted to take the flu vaccine — a total that used to be 100%, because it wasn’t optional. In response to the outbreak at Lackland, the base received an exception from Hegseth’s policy and is now requiring recruits to get vaccinated......

The point is not to intrude on “medical autonomy,” a phrase Hegseth emphasized when he made the change in April. Rather, military leaders, during Democratic and Republican administrations, have long understood that readiness requires healthy troops, many of whom often serve in close quarters with fellow service members, here and abroad.

As The Atlantic’s Adam Serwer noted, “Nothing has killed more soldiers in the history of humanity than disease.” American leaders have wisely taken steps for generations to try to prevent this from happening.

It might be tempting to think officials at the Defense Department would see what happened at Lackland Air Force Base and reassess Hegseth’s mistake from two months ago. But that’s apparently not going to happen: The Pentagon’s chief spokesman told the Times that the department stands by the secretary’s decision

[meadowlander]

4. We all know though that it's DEI that's really reducing combat readiness.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. Hegseth is an idiot

[LisaL]

8. The base got an exception to vaccinate again?

What exactly is going to happen on all the other bases at the peak of flu season this winter?

[MustLoveBeagles]

6. This is so stupid

Our combat readiness has been compromised. I joined the military in the early nineties. Back then vaccines weren't optional. I don't want to know what their reaction would have been if someone refused.

[B.See]

9. FAFO.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

10. MaddowBlog-As Air Force base faces flu outbreak, military eyes exceptions to Hegseth's vaccine policy

There’s fresh evidence that military branches are starting to reverse course on the defense secretary’s misguided approach to readiness and troop safety.

Hegseth: We’re eliminating flu vaccine requirements in the military.

Army, Navy, and Air Force: Actually, no, we’re not.
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-06-25T13:44:15.423Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/flu-outbreak-air-force-base-hegseth-vaccine-policy-exemptions

In April, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, on the heels of a brutal flu season in the United States, nevertheless announced a bold new idea: The Pentagon he leads would no longer mandate flu vaccines for those in uniform.

Two months later, the consequences started coming into view: A major flu outbreak sickened nearly 160 troops at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. Days later, the Air Force confirmed that the total had climbed to 222 and included multiple hospitalizations.

Last week, the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson told The New York Times that the Defense Department would stand by Hegseth’s misguided decision despite the outbreak. This week, however, ABC News reported:

The services have already been given exceptions to Hegseth’s policy according to Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell in a statement provided to ABC News. As part of those exceptions to the policy, the Army, Navy and Air Force are once again requiring flu shots for basic trainees, according to officials.

If this is accurate, it seems like an important reversal — and an unsubtle acknowledgement that the beleaguered defense secretary has made a dramatic mistake......

The ABC News report, however, suggests the change isn’t just limited to one base: The shift applies to basic trainees across the Army, Navy and Air Force. The same report added:

With the new exception to policy, the Air Force has the goal of vaccinating all of the recruits in this recruit class and will vaccinate all new recruits arriving at the base according to one of the sources.

Moreover, the Army is preparing in the coming weeks to broaden that requirement to troops deploying overseas, first responders, child care workers, health care personnel, prison staff and soldiers taking part in certain large-scale training exercises, according to a service spokesperson.

The military, above all, is a deeply pragmatic institution. Hegseth, a former Fox News host, might have a culture war crusade to fight and ideological itches to scratch, but most military leaders are far more interested in solving problems than advancing assorted causes.

With this in mind, ABC News’ report added, “While the Pentagon sets policy for the military, the services and its commanders often retain broad discretion to adjust how those directives are carried out, whether to address safety concerns or work around bureaucratic hurdles.”

[Johonny]

11. Wow, who would have thought...

Losing to Iran and the Flu in one year.