The Army, Navy, and Air Force are once again requiring basic trainees to get vaccinated against influenza. This decision comes after a flu outbreak swept through an Air Force base in Texas, sickening at least 222 recruits and hospitalizing four.
The outbreak occurred just two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth abandoned a decades-long requirement for flu shots, citing it as a way to 'restore freedom' to military members.
The reinstated requirement aims to keep armed forces healthy, particularly in close-quarters base environments where infectious diseases can spread rapidly.
