After a recent report revealed that almost 68 % of the world’s Reserve and Guard soldiers are heavy, Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth scathingly criticized the Pentagon’s “fitness &, weight norms.”
According to a new report from the American Security Project,” As operational needs on the U.S. armed forces ‘ supply part increase, rising rates of weight-related illnesses in the National Guard and reserves present a growing threat to labour, vision preparation, and support member well-being.”
According to experts, services people who have separated due to obesity and their disorders are essential workers the Armed Forces cannot afford to lose because the active-duty force’s size has decreased and there are growing demands on the National Guard and reserves.
The Reserve and National Guard troops face similar “obesity-related problems” to those facing active-duty troops, according to The American Security Project, but “military commanders and policymakers will not be able to overcome these trends with a standard technique.”
There are a number of unique logistical and lifestyle issues to take into account when crafting policy to prevent and treat obesity in the reserve component because the majority of the National Guard and reserve personnel serve part-time, according to researchers.
Hegseth tweeted,” Completely unacceptable,” in response to the most recent report. We are changing what happens when standards are IGNORED, and this is how it works. There are RARE fitness and weight standards here. We will be FIT, not FAT.”
READ MORE: According to a study, 68 % of US troops are overweight or obese.
According to a previous American Security Project report from October 20, 2018, roughly 68 % of active duty members in the U.S. military were deemed overweight or obese based on the body mass index method of classification based on a person’s height and weight.
These service members are at increased risk for a wide range of serious health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and osteoarthritis, which may result in life-threatening health conditions like stroke and heart failure, according to the report.
Hegseth ordered the undersecretary of defense for Personnel and Readiness to conduct a review of the Department of Defense’s standards for grooming, physical fitness, and body composition last month in a memorandum.
Hegseth said,” We must keep up 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.” Our adversaries are not becoming less difficult, and our tasks are not becoming less difficult. This review will provide an explanation of how the Department has maintained the required standard over the years and how those standards have changed over time.
