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MS NOW
Jun 19, 2026
A Texas Air Force base is grappling with a major flu outbreak just weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dropped the military's flu vaccine requirement. MS NOW Pentagon Reporter Priya Sridhar has more
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struggle4progress
(127,207 posts)by Jessica Warner
Fri, June 19, 2026 at 4:25 PM
SAN ANTONIO - In a new social media post, a U.S. Congressman is demanding answers about what led to a major flu outbreak at a military base.
On Friday, U.S. Rep Joaquin Castro of Texas's 20th congressional district updated the public on an ongoing Flu outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base, which has now spread to over 200 cases ...
https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/flu-outbreak-climbs-to-222-cases-at-lackland-air-force-base-rep-castro-demands-answers
Our military readiness could improve quickly if Hegseth played a round or two of Russian roulette every day
jmowreader
(53,550 posts)That's where they run basic training. Every two weeks they send about 1800 nice fresh airmen out into the world. If they're running an incubator down there because the town drunk doesn't believe in vaccination, we're all in trouble.
louis-t
(24,699 posts)By Tuesday he'll be 
cpamomfromtexas
(1,502 posts)struggle4progress
(127,207 posts)That is less than 0.6% of the people at that facility.
LisaL
(48,021 posts)
Manatee
(61 posts)can hit some people really hard. However, with that said, I haven't had a flu shot since high school and I never get sick. I'm 57. I can't even remember the last time I had a mild cold. I'm pretty sure the last time I called in sick for work was in 2009.
GenThePerservering
(4,097 posts)👎
Manatee
(61 posts)recall saying any such thing.
LisaL
(48,021 posts)What do you think is going to happen in the peak of flu season, with majority of the people now un-vaccianted?
Turbineguy
(40,292 posts)
Initech
(109,658 posts)
LetMyPeopleVote
(184,000 posts)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
— NanNan🦋 🇺🇦â¤ï¸ðŸ‡µðŸ‡¸ ðŸ³ï¸â€ðŸŒˆ 👵🇬🇱🾠(@nan-nanlovesme.bsky.social) 2026-06-18T20:55:48.657Z
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...
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/hegseth-vaccines-air-force-base-flu-outbreak
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
MineralMan
(152,049 posts)There was an outbreak of meningitis while I was there. Everything locked down hard. I barely got to leave in time to get to my next assignment. In fact, I cheated a little.
Stuff spread like wildfire, due to the close quarters. It hasn't changed, but vaccinations helped a lot. Stupid Hegseth!
spanone
(142,255 posts)...or be removed.
Fuck these ignorant cabinet clowns.
ProudMNDemocrat
(21,031 posts)Spent close to a week there in 2018.
My husband was there for Basic back in 1962. He said in 2018, "This base is far larger than when I was last here."
LetMyPeopleVote
(184,000 posts)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.
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-06-25T13:44:15.423Z
Army, Navy, and Air Force: Actually, no, we’re not.
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/flu-outbreak-air-force-base-hegseth-vaccine-policy-exemptions
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.”