A new report from the Pentagon Inspector General reveals that the US Army has been lowering its fitness requirements to meet ambitious recruitment targets.
The findings come shortly after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth celebrated the service’s “best recruiting numbers” in 15 years — a milestone reached just last month.
According to the report, approximately 14 percent of 1,100 trainees between February and May 2024 exceeded the Army’s body fat standards, even after threshold adjustments and extended time to meet the required weight.
Under the Future Soldier Preparatory Course, applicants who exceed the body fat limit by more than 8 percent can still enlist, provided they lose the excess weight within 90 days.
The US Army’s standard body fat limit is 26 percent for men and 36 percent for women.
However, the Inspector General found that some recruits were allowed to enlist with body fat percentages up to 19 percent above the standard, meaning some male recruits may have had body fat levels as high as 45 percent.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, such levels would likely be classified as “morbid obesity.”
Inadequate Medical Services
Beyond relaxed fitness standards, the Inspector General raised concerns about the Army’s failure to provide adequate medical services to help overweight recruits reduce body fat.
Reports indicate that the Army has not deployed enough dietitians or medical staff to support struggling recruits.
Additionally, recruits who exceed the 90-day adjustment period are not receiving proper metabolic health assessments. Instead, they are being granted incomplete medical clearances before moving on to basic training.
“With the limited medical support and percent of trainees above the body fat composition limit, trainees are at increased risk of suffering adverse medical consequences while trying to lose weight in a short time,” the report noted.
The US Army has not yet responded to questions about how severely overweight applicants are passing initial screening processes.
