XPost: sci.military.naval, soc.history.war.misc, or.politics
from
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11949391/US-Air-Force-loosening-recruits-body-fat-requirements-26-BMI-men-36-women.html
Top Gut: US Air Force is loosening recruits' body fat requirements to
26% BMI for men and 36% for women to try to boost recruitment (despite
growing military fitness crisis)
The Air Force is allowing recruits to have a higher percentage of body
fat to broaden its pool of recruitment as it struggles to find new members
Male recruits can have 26 percent body fat while females can have 36 percent
It comes as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention says obesity
among American youth is 'impacting national security'
By ANEETA BHOLE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 09:47 EDT, 7 April 2023 | UPDATED: 11:06 EDT, 7 April 2023
eView comments
The Air Force is allowing recruits to have a higher percentage of body
fat to 'broaden the pool' of Americans they can call to service as it
struggles to find new members.
Male recruits are now permitted to have up to 26 percent body fat up
from 20 percent while females can have 36 percent up from 28 percent.
According to medical experts, however, a high percentage of body fat can increase the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other health conditions with the proposed percentage points reaching 'dangerously
high' levels.
Air Force Recruiting Service spokeswoman Leslie Brown said that it's
hoped the changes will encourage more people to join, although they will
still be expected to meet the same fitness standards.
+6
View gallery
Male Air Force recruits are now permitted to have up to 26 percent body
fat up from 20 percent, while females can have 36 percent up from 28
percent
The Air Force is allowing recruits to have a higher percentage of body
fat to 'broaden the pool' of Americans they can call to service as it
struggles to find new members, says Air Force Recruiting Service
spokeswoman Leslie Brown (pictured)
+6
View gallery
The Air Force is allowing recruits to have a higher percentage of body
fat to 'broaden the pool' of Americans they can call to service as it
struggles to find new members, says Air Force Recruiting Service
spokeswoman Leslie Brown (pictured)
Brown said the new standards is one of several initiatives to increase
the pool of candidates without 'lowering standards'
+6
View gallery
Brown said the new standards is one of several initiatives to increase
the pool of candidates without 'lowering standards'
TRENDING
Australia's most recogniseable bikie like you've never seen him before
40.4k viewing now
Inside America's most inbred family
17.5k viewing now
McDonald's with one of the last single-arch designs announces closing
13.4k viewing now
'The Air Force is looking to open the aperture on qualifying a broader
pool of young Americans for service in the Air Force. These changes
bring the Air Force in line with DOD policy,' Brown told Fox News.
'While recruits will be allowed to join with greater body fat
percentages, they will still be expected to meet the same fitness
standards as everyone else to stay in the service. That means meeting
the waist-to-height ratio requirement the Air Force announced in January
and implemented this month.
The military service branch is expected to miss its 'active-duty'
recruiting goal by 10 percent this year after it dipped into a pool of
delayed entry applicants to meet last year's goal.
Brown said the new standards is one of several initiatives to increase
the pool of candidates without 'lowering standards.'
'We are recruiting today's generation, not my generation who joined more
than 30 years ago, where a tattoo may have been taboo but is now a
societal norm,' she told Fox News.
'Or where youth now live a more sedentary lifestyle than before – we can
take those new recruits and can promote physical fitness and overall
healthier living decisions into their everyday routines as Airmen.'
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that obesity is
a scourge on American youth and is 'impacting national security.'
It says one out of every three young adults aged 17 – 24 are too heavy
to serve in the military.
'Among the young adults who meet weight requirements, only 3 in 4 report physical activity levels that prepare them for challenges in basic
training,' it said.
Consequently, only 2 in 5 young adults are both weight-eligible and
adequately active. In 2018 the latest figures showed that 71 percent of
young people would not be able to join the military if they wanted to.
Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General, Mark Hertling said: 'The military
has experienced increasing difficulty in recruiting soldiers as a result
of physical inactivity, obesity, and malnutrition among our nation's
youth. Not addressing these issues now will impact our future national security.'
Brown said that it's hoped the changes will encourage more people to
join, although they will still be expected to meet the same fitness
standards
+6
View gallery
Brown said that it's hoped the changes will encourage more people to
join, although they will still be expected to meet the same fitness
standards
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that obesity is
a scourge on American youth and is 'impacting national security'
+6
View gallery
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that obesity is
a scourge on American youth and is 'impacting national security'
MORE TRENDING
Boy, 12, and 17-year-old arrested and third on loose in triple murders
11.3k viewing now
Riley Gaines 'ambushed by trans activists who physically attacked her'
11.7k viewing now
DeSantis escalates war with Disney; threatens hotel taxes, road tolls
2.3k viewing now
The Department of Defense (DOD) spends about $1.5 billion annually in obesity-related health care costs for current and former service members
and their families, as well as costs to replace unfit personnel.
Lost workdays due to overweight and obesity for active-duty military
personnel is 658 ,000 days per year costing DOD $103 million per year.
New research from the World Health Organization found that obesity in
the U.S. military surged during the pandemic, in the Army alone, nearly
10,000 active-duty soldiers developed obesity between February 2019 and
June 2021. Increases were seen in the U.S. Navy and the Marines, too.
More recent data won't be available until later this year, said
Koehlmoos. But there's no sign that the trend is ending, underscoring longstanding concerns about the readiness of America's fighting forces.
Military leaders have been warning about the impact of obesity on the
U.S. military for more than a decade, but the lingering pandemic effects highlight the need for urgent action, said retired Marine Corps
Brigadier General Stephen Cheney, who co-authored a recent report on the problem.
'The numbers have not gotten better,' Cheney said in a November webinar
held by the American Security Project, a non-profit think tank. 'They
are just getting worse and worse and worse.'
In fiscal year 2022, the Army failed to make its recruiting goal for the
first time, falling short by 15,000 recruits, or a quarter of the
requirement.
That's largely because three-quarters of Americans aged 17 to 24 are not eligible for military service for several reasons, including extra
weight. Being overweight is the biggest individual disqualifier,
affecting more than 1 in 10 potential recruits.
In fiscal year 2022, the Army failed to make its recruiting goal for the
first time, falling short by 15,000 recruits, or a quarter of the
requirement
+6
View gallery
In fiscal year 2022, the Army failed to make its recruiting goal for the
first time, falling short by 15,000 recruits, or a quarter of the
requirement
Brown told Fox News up to 100 more recruits will now be eligible to join
the Air Force each month.
Body mass index (BMI) is a rough estimate of body fat percentage. It's
useful as a rough guide. It has limitations, such as, people with high
muscle mass may have a high BMI without high body fat.
Accurately measuring body fat is essential for assessing health risks.
The newly proposed percentages cross the 'dangerously high' levels for
men and women according to Medical News Today.
For women ranging from 20 - 69, 36 percent is reaching dangerous high
levels while men ranging from 20 - 39, 26 percent is dangerously high.
Share or comment on this article: US Air Force is loosening recruits'
body fat requirements to 26% BMI for men and 36% for women
e-mail
30
shares
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)