Pentagon restores mandatory flu shots for all recruits amid boot camp outbreak

Move comes after Hegseth made shot optional for military in April and Texas outbreak has sickened nearly 300 people

The Pentagon has said that boot camps for all the military services are once again requiring the flu vaccination for all recruits after the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, made the shot optional for the military at the end of April.

The development on Wednesday was confirmed by a Pentagon official to the Associated Press and came amid a growing, weeks-long, flu outbreak at the US air force's boot camp at Lackland air force base in San Antonio, Texas.