Nearly 70% of US troops are overweight or obese, research report says

Stars and Stripes ^ | October 17, 2023 | Doug G. Ware

[Angelino97]

Almost seven out of every 10 U.S. troops are either overweight or obese, according to a new report, which also warns the growing trend could compromise military readiness and undermine national security.

The American Security Project, a Washington-based nonprofit organization that studies modern national security issues, conducted the study and found 68% of active-duty service members fall somewhere between overweight and obese on the body mass index, which is a long-used but controversial method of assessing a person’s body classification by height and weight. A person between 25 and 30 on the BMI is considered clinically overweight and more than 30 is considered obese, according to the National Institutes of Health.

“Rapid and sustained recurrence of obesity across all services, ranks and positions now poses a dire threat, especially for at-risk populations and those in critical combat roles,” the group’s report states. “Designing an effective strategy to monitor and tackle obesity within the U.S. military begins by treating it like any other chronic disease.”

The American Security Project underscored obesity is the leading disqualifier of military applicants and a “primary contributor to in-service injuries and medical discharges.” The group also said the number of troops in the “obese” category have more than doubled in the past decade — from 10.4% in 2012 to 21.6% last year...

The American Security Project’s study comes at a time when the U.S. military is struggling to recruit qualified young Americans. Less than 25% of Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 qualify physically and academically for military service, according to recent Pentagon data.

“Obesity poses a complex challenge to recruitment, readiness and retention within the U.S. armed forces,” the study said.

[Angelino97]

Rising obesity, lowered IQ standards, wokeness, more women and trannies ... our military sure sounds "mission ready."

[Telepathic Intruder]

But if any country attacks us, we can accuse them of microaggression and make them feel bad.