San Antonio, Texas - A major influenza outbreak recently hit a military base in Texas after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made flu vaccines optional for recruits.

According to The New York Times, more than 150 recruits who stay in the training wing at Lackland Air Force Base have been hit with illness.

According to a press release from the training wing, Keon McDaniel, who was in his sixth week of Basic Military Training, "experienced a medical emergency" on June 12 and passed away four days later.

It is not clear at this time if the death was related to the flu outbreak, and a medical review is currently underway.

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The news comes less than two months after Hegseth ended mandatory flu vaccinations for the military in April, describing them as "absurd overreaching mandates that only weaken our war fighting capabilities."

"Your body, your faith and your convictions are not negotiable," the defense secretary said in a video posted on social media.

Following the move, only about 40% of recruits opted to get vaccinated.

In the wake of the outbreak, the Air Force made an exception to Hegseth's policy by requiring recruits again to receive the flu vaccine in an effort to contain the spread.