The majority of US service members are either overweight or obese, which may compromise the nation’s military readiness and undermine national security.

The American Security Project (ASP), a Washington-based nonprofit, found that 68% of US troops qualified as either “overweight” or “obese” under the Body Mass Index, which takes into account a person’s age, height and weight. The document was reviewed by the New York Post, emphasizing that

the number of troops in the “obese” category have more than doubled over the course of the past decade — from 10.4% in 2012, to 21.6% last year.

Although the findings may not seem serious at first glance, ASP warns that it is something that should be addressed by the State Department.

To ensure the long-term strength and operability of the armed forces, services must decisively and cohesively address obesity within their ranks, maintain strong body composition standards and bring health policies in line with evidence-based recommendations,

– state the authors of the report in their recommendation. The American Security Project also notes in its document that

Each branch of the United States military currently has its own “minimum body composition standards” that recruits must meet — and obesity is the leading disqualifier of military applicants and a “primary contributor to in-service injuries and medical discharges.

U.S. military obesity: Nearly 70% of American soldiers are obese or overweight — compromising national security 🤣 https://t.co/g8cExE8gtY pic.twitter.com/h4Ia41MEam

— FackUrrMahdahKunt (@UrrKeettee) October 21, 2023

The problem is that the US military is struggling to recruit new members. According to data released by the Defense Department (DOD), the majority of Americans aged between of 17 and 24 are both academically and physically unfit for military service, making it more difficult for the army too meet its voluntary recruitment goals.

In fact, the US army could not recruit around 77 per cent of the youth.

The DOD report concluded that obesity was a driving factor in the eligibility decline. Obesity rates have increased consistently for decades and 42.9% of the U.S. adult population qualify as obese. In 1999, that figure was more than 10 points lower.

Separate from the decreasing recruitment numbers and lack of fitness for service, the military faces numerous other obstacles to recruiting young soldiers, among them a perception that the military is engaging in left-wing social experiments, instead of focusing on upgrading its weapons arsenal and improving the readiness of its forces.

In 2021, the Army unveiled a series of ads as part of „The Calling” recruitment campaign, which highlighted the service stories of individuals from diverse backgrounds. The campaign was widely panned as „woke” and received significant pushback from conservative lawmakers representing southern and midwestern areas that are typically prime recruiting grounds for the military. In the name of diversity, the campaign ads have provided an overwhelming prominence to immigrants and LGBTQ people, which did not appeal to many.