“””””Today the US military says that only 23 percent of the 17-24 population is even capable of military service.”””””
That isn’t 100% accurate, what they say is that for enlistment standards at that moment in time, standards are flexible and vary from period to period and branch to branch.
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Well, you have a point there.
The standards increase during wartime which means that even more than 77 percent will fail.
"The test’s standards have generally toughened during times of war, and softened during times of peace, and the difference between these poles has roughly translated into the difference between a focus on combat readiness, and a focus on general fitness."
https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/military/history-of-the-armys-pt-test/