According to reports, the US Air Force has decided to help ease its recruiting difficulties by allowing fatter Americans to join the military branch, potentially making millions of obese young people eligible to enlist.
Male recruits will be allowed to carry up to 26% body fat under the new guidelines, while females will be limited to 36% body fat, according to Military.com, citing US Air Force Recruiting Service spokeswoman Leslie Brown. The previous limits for males were 20% and 28% for females.
“I cannot emphasise enough that we are not lowering our standards,” Brown stated. Rather, the Air Force is “aligning” its rules with a directive issued by the Pentagon last year. That policy document required all service members to maintain a level of fitness and body composition in order to perform all of their duties successfully.
Obesity is defined as a body fat percentage of 25 or higher in men by the American Council on Exercise. For women, the obese category begins at 32%. Allowing obese recruits will provide the Air Force with a large pool of potential recruits. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, 39.8% of Americans aged 20 to 39 are obese.
The United States Army and Navy have attempted to address their recruiting problems by providing physical fitness preparatory courses – known as pre-boot camp in the Army’s case – to give prospects who exceed body fat limits a chance to get in good enough shape to enlist.
Under the revised body fat limits, the Air Force expects to be able to recruit an additional 50 to 100 new enlistees each month. To remain in the Air Force, the new recruits will need to pass standard fitness tests, including a waist-to-height ratio requirement.
According to Pentagon data from 2017, nearly 71% of the 34 million Americans born after 1997 are ineligible for military service, most commonly due to obesity. Medical conditions, criminal records, drug use, and a lack of a high school diploma are also common disqualifying factors.
Even after taking various steps to attract more enlistees, the Air Force estimates that it will fall short of its recruiting goal for this year by around 10%. For example, it relaxed rules to allow recruits with tattoos on their neck and hands, and it launched a programme to allow those who tested positive for THC to retest. Student loan repayment of up to $65,000 is included in the recruiting bonus.
