00:02Two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ended the military's flu shot requirement,
00:08the Air Force is now dealing with a major outbreak at its largest basic training base.
00:13Nearly 160 trainees have been sickened by the flu at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas,
00:19the primary training center for new Air Force and Space Force recruits.
00:23The New York Times was first to report the spread through a basic training unit
00:27where recruits live in close quarters, sleep in open bays, and eat together in large dining facilities.
00:33It comes less than two months after Hegseth scrapped the military's long-standing flu vaccine requirement
00:40and made the shot voluntary. Here's what he said in April.
00:43Our new policy is simple. If you, an American warrior entrusted to defend this nation,
00:49believe that the flu vaccine is in your best interest, then you are free to take it. You should.
00:54But we will not force you because your body, your faith, and your convictions are not negotiable.
01:01Your health. It's common sense. It's the kind of common sense approach we're undertaking in this department.
01:08Since that policy took effect, only about 40 percent of Air Force trainees have chosen to get the vaccine.
01:15Now the Air Force is making an exception. Officials have reinstated a flu shot requirement
01:20for all new recruits at Lackland, while medical teams work to contain the outbreak.
01:25The Air Force says trainees who are sick are being isolated and treated with antiviral medication.
01:31The Pentagon defended the policy change, saying, quote,
01:34The decisions were based upon thorough risk assessments and are designed to maximize operational readiness,
01:40lethality, and force generation while safeguarding at-risk populations.
01:45And that's what happens.
01:48The AmericanTu Zeus
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