Military Reinstates Flu Shot Requirement Amid Air Force Flu Outbreak Just Months After Hegseth Scrapped Mandate

June 26, 2026

3 hypodermic needles

(Media ITE) – Military branches are reintroducing flu shot requirements as an outbreak has been growing at Lackland Air Force Base, where new recruits are trained.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ended flu shot mandates for the military in April, ending a mandate that had been in place since 1945. Hegseth said at the time that it should be a service member’s personal decision whether to get vaccinated or not. (Read More)