As the epidemic grows, obesity is posing a threat to our nation’s security as well,” the study reads, titled, “Unhealthy and Unprepared.” “Obesity has long threatened our nation’s health. Of the 7 in 10 Americans aged 17-24 already disqualified from military service, 31 percent are disqualified because of obesity, according to a 2018 report.
The nation’s worsening obesity epidemic has become a burden on its military readiness. When the guidelines slip, Spoehr noted, so too do the health of servicemen and women who take note. The retired lieutenant general complained the Air Force had stopped weighing service members last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, and also stopped the “tape test” to determine members’ body fat percentage. Spoehr didn’t entirely excuse the Air Force of complacency when it comes to Americans’ declining health under the weight of obesity.
