US Army Accepts Overweight Recruits, Lacks Proper Medical Help: Pentagon Report – SOFREP News Team
A recent report from the Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General has raised concerns about the US Army’s recruitment practices, particularly regarding the enlistment of applicants who exceed the Army’s body fat standards.
The report highlights the challenges and potential risks associated with the Army’s Future Soldier Preparatory Course, a program designed to help recruits meet physical and academic requirements. It specifically focuses on the issues of recruits being allowed to enlist despite far exceeding body fat limits and the insufficient medical support provided to these recruits during their attempts to lose weight.
The Army’s Future Soldier Preparatory Course
The Army’s Future Soldier Preparatory Course was introduced as part of an effort to expand recruitment eligibility, particularly targeting individuals who have struggled to meet academic or physical standards required for enlistment.
The preparatory course includes a fitness track that gives recruits up to 90 days to shed the necessary weight and come into compliance with Army body fat standards. This initiative aims to address the growing difficulty the Army has faced in meeting its recruitment goals, especially in the face of a shrinking pool of eligible applicants due to obesity and other health issues.
Under the fitness track, recruits are permitted to enlist with body fat percentages up to eight percent over the Army’s standard.
The Army’s standard for body fat is 26 percent for men and 36 percent for women.
However, the inspector general’s report reveals that some recruits were allowed to join with body fat percentages significantly exceeding these expanded limits, with some male recruits reportedly having body fat as high as 45 percent, and female recruits reaching 55 percent.
These figures are considered morbidly obese according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), raising concerns about the overall health and readiness of these recruits.
A recent report from the Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General has raised concerns about the US Army’s recruitment practices, particularly regarding the enlistment of applicants who exceed the Army’s body fat standards.
The report highlights the challenges and potential risks associated with the Army’s Future Soldier Preparatory Course, a program designed to help recruits meet physical and academic requirements. It specifically focuses on the issues of recruits being allowed to enlist despite far exceeding body fat limits and the insufficient medical support provided to these recruits during their attempts to lose weight.
The Army’s Future Soldier Preparatory Course
The Army’s Future Soldier Preparatory Course was introduced as part of an effort to expand recruitment eligibility, particularly targeting individuals who have struggled to meet academic or physical standards required for enlistment.
The preparatory course includes a fitness track that gives recruits up to 90 days to shed the necessary weight and come into compliance with Army body fat standards. This initiative aims to address the growing difficulty the Army has faced in meeting its recruitment goals, especially in the face of a shrinking pool of eligible applicants due to obesity and other health issues.
Under the fitness track, recruits are permitted to enlist with body fat percentages up to eight percent over the Army’s standard.
The Army’s standard for body fat is 26 percent for men and 36 percent for women.
However, the inspector general’s report reveals that some recruits were allowed to join with body fat percentages significantly exceeding these expanded limits, with some male recruits reportedly having body fat as high as 45 percent, and female recruits reaching 55 percent.
These figures are considered morbidly obese according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), raising concerns about the overall health and readiness of these recruits.
Inspector General’s Findings
The DoD Inspector General’s report found several concerning issues with the Army’s recruitment process under the Future Soldier Preparatory Course. The key findings include:
Exceeding Body Fat Limits
The inspector general found that a significant portion of recruits, approximately 14 percent of the 1,100 trainees between February and May 2024, exceeded even the expanded body fat limits.
Some recruits were allowed to join with body fat percentages as much as 19 percent above the Army’s standard, which raises questions about the physical readiness and overall health of these recruits.
Lack of Medical Support
One of the most concerning aspects of the report is the lack of adequate medical support for recruits trying to meet the Army’s body fat standards.
The inspector general found that trainees did not consistently receive the necessary medical services as required by Army policy. This included incomplete medical clearances before transitioning to basic training, and the absence of required assessments for metabolic health during the preparatory course.
The shortage of dieticians and medical staff to monitor the health of these recruits was also identified as a major issue, potentially putting the recruits’ long-term health at risk.
Unilateral Policy Change
The report also revealed that General Gary Brito, head of Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), unilaterally enacted a policy allowing recruits to join the preparatory course with up to 10 percent over the body fat standard. This change, which allowed recruits to be more overweight than previously allowed, was made without the proper authority, according to the inspector general’s office.
This policy adjustment has raised concerns about the oversight and governance of the Army’s recruitment processes.
Separation of Overweight Trainees
The report also indicated that one-third of the recruits in the preparatory course were separated from the Army immediately after arriving due to being too overweight. It remains unclear whether these recruits were included in the Army’s recruitment numbers, which could potentially affect the service’s ability to meet its recruitment quotas.
This ambiguity around how such recruits are counted could lead to discrepancies in the Army’s official recruitment data.
Impact on Recruitment Goals
Despite these issues, the Army has seen some success in meeting its recruitment goals.
In fact, the Future Soldier Preparatory Course has been credited with helping the Army reverse a decade-long recruiting slump.
In the fiscal year 2024, the Army met its recruiting goal of 55,300 new active-duty soldiers, with nearly one-quarter of new enlistees having gone through the preparatory courses. These recruits would have otherwise not been eligible for service due to physical or academic shortcomings.
The Army’s recruitment difficulties have largely been attributed to a shrinking pool of eligible candidates, as obesity rates increase and academic test scores decrease among American youth.
The success of the Future Soldier Preparatory Course has been touted as a key factor in addressing these challenges.
The Navy even introduced its own version of the preparatory course in 2023, mirroring the Army’s approach.
While the Army’s Future Soldier Preparatory Course has been a crucial tool in addressing its recruitment challenges, the findings of the Department of Defense Inspector General report shed light on significant issues that need to be addressed.
These include the recruitment of individuals who far exceed body fat standards, inadequate medical support for recruits attempting to lose weight, and the lack of oversight in policy changes.
To ensure the long-term success and health of recruits, the Army must address these concerns by improving its medical support infrastructure, adhering to proper recruitment policies, and ensuring that recruits meet the necessary physical standards for military service.
