Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a scathing rebuke of the Pentagon’s “fitness & weight standards” after a new report showed that roughly 68% of the nation’s Reserve and Guard troops are overweight.
A new American Security Project report warned, “As operational demands on the U.S. Armed Forces’ reserve component increase, rising rates of weight related illnesses in the National Guard and reserves present a growing threat to manpower, mission readiness, and service member well-being.”
“With the diminished size of the [active-duty] force and increasing demands on the National Guard and reserves, service members separated due to obesity and its comorbidities are vital personnel the Armed Forces cannot afford to lose,” researchers wrote in the report.
The American Security Project explained that while the “obesity-related challenges” of the Reserve and National Guard forces are similar to the challenges facing active-duty troops, military commanders and policymakers will “not be able to combat these trends with a uniform approach.”
“As most National Guard and reserve personnel serve part-time, there are a number of unique logistical and lifestyle challenges to consider when crafting policy to prevent and treat obesity in the reserve component,” researchers added.
In response to the recent report, Hegseth tweeted, “Completely unacceptable. This is what happens when standards are IGNORED — and this is what we are changing. REAL fitness & weight standards are here. We will be FIT, not FAT.”
READ MORE: 68% of US troops are obese or overweight, study finds
A previous American Security Project report from October of 2023 showed that roughly 68% of active duty troops in the U.S. military were considered to be overweight or obese based on the body mass index method of classification determined by a person’s weight and height.
The report warned, “These service members experience heightened risk for a wide variety of serious health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and osteoarthritis, which may lead to life-threatening health events such as stroke and heart failure.”
Last month, Hegseth issued a memorandum ordering the undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to conduct a review of grooming, physical fitness, and body composition standards at the Department of Defense.
“We must remain vigilant in maintaining the standards that enable the men and women of our military to protect the American people and our homeland as the world’s most lethal and effective fighting force,” Hegseth said. “Our adversaries are not growing weaker, and our tasks are not growing less challenging. This review will illuminate how the Department has maintained the level of standards required over the recent past and the trajectory of any change in those standards.”
