By the Numbers: 25 January 2021
80%
The percentage of "recruits who exceeded the weight-for-height standards but subsequently entered the military because they passed the standards later or received a waiver" who "left the military before completing their first term of enlistment but after the expenditure of training costs," according to a recent Congressional Research Service "In Focus" report -- Obesity in the United States and Effects on Military Recruiting.
Currently, 19% of U.S. adults ages 18-24 would not meet standards for accession to the U.S. military due to obesity. Those who do not meet body fat standards can join the armed forces if they reduce their body fat through diet and exercise.
80%
The percentage of "recruits who exceeded the weight-for-height standards but subsequently entered the military because they passed the standards later or received a waiver" who "left the military before completing their first term of enlistment but after the expenditure of training costs," according to a recent Congressional Research Service "In Focus" report -- Obesity in the United States and Effects on Military Recruiting.
Currently, 19% of U.S. adults ages 18-24 would not meet standards for accession to the U.S. military due to obesity. Those who do not meet body fat standards can join the armed forces if they reduce their body fat through diet and exercise.