The Pentagon will once again require influenza vaccination in boot camps across all branches of the U.S. military, reversing a decision in April to make the vaccine optional.

A Pentagon official confirmed the development to the Associated Press.

According to the outlet, the decision comes “amid a growing, weekslong, flu outbreak at the U.S. Air Force’s boot camp at Lackland Air Force Base that has sickened nearly 300 people.”

“Military reverses course and again mandates flu shots for most military and civilian personnel,” attorney Aaron Siri commented.

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However, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not cleared for public release, maintained that the permission to mandate the vaccinations was unrelated to the outbreak.

When Hegseth first announced the repeal of the flu vaccine mandate in April, citing “medical autonomy” and religious freedom, he allowed the services to ask for exceptions — or permission to keep the vaccine mandatory — within 15 days of the rollout.

The Pentagon official explained that the decision on those exceptions were being finalized earlier in June and the timing with the outbreak at Lackland was just a coincidence. Only 40% of the new trainees moving through the bootcamp at Lackland opted to receive the shot once it became optional, a source familiar with the situation told the Associated Press. The person spoke on the conditional of anonymity because the information was not cleared for public release.

“The War Department is once again restoring freedom to our Joint Force. We are discarding the mandatory flu vaccine requirement, effective immediately,” Hegseth said in April.

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CBS News shared further:

By early May, all military departments had formally requested exemptions that allow them to keep requiring flu vaccinations for certain service members, and those exemptions were granted in early June, according to the congressional staffer. The exemptions typically apply to vulnerable populations like people who live in communal environments, healthcare workers and other categories, the staffer said.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement last week that exceptions to the voluntary flu vaccine policy had been issued following a “comprehensive review.”

“The decisions were based upon thorough risk assessments and are designed to maximize operational readiness, lethality, and force generation, while safeguarding at-risk populations,” Parnell said. “The Department remains committed to the health and readiness of our warfighters and civilian personnel.”

Asked for comment Wednesday, the Pentagon referred CBS News to Parnell’s earlier statement.

The flu vaccine was first mandated for troops in 1945, leading to millions of vaccinations, according to a 2022 analysis of vaccine mandates in the military. The requirement was lifted in 1949 but reinstated in the 1950s, and flu vaccines remained mandatory until Hegseth’s order.

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