Military Recruiters Are Concerned that Young Americans Are Way Too Out of Shape Or Dumb To Join the Armed Forces
Jose Nino
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Military new site Task & Purpose covered some unsettling developments that could impact America’s ability to defend itself.
Specifically, the site speculates that military recruitment could be falling across the board due to the youth being too overweight and or mentally unfit to fight.
For several years, active and retired military leaders have voiced similar concerns. Tyler Durden of ZeroHedge noted that a “Dec.17 letter to Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller signed by almost 800 retired admirals and generals” voiced similar misgivings about America’s recruitment base.
What keeps these military leaders at night is that over 70% of Americans from the 17 to 24 age range can’t make it into military ranks because they are “too poorly educated, too overweight, or have a history of crime or substance abuse.”
The group of bipartisan leaders who wrote the letter is now calling on the Pentagon to craft a strategy to tackle these issues. “Without coordinated action, these trends pose a significant threat to the future of the all-volunteer force,” the letter declared.
Navy Recruiting Command chief Rear Admiral Dennis Velez has been on top of these trends which make military recruitment more difficult. In a separate correspondence with Military.com, Velez stated that Americans should be focused on ensuring that “our children are healthier” to prevent a national crisis.
All the branches of the military have fitness standards that Americans must meet before entering the armed forces. The Marines famously have the strictest standards for entry.
Major General Jason Bohm, the head of the Marine Corps recruiting, said the following :
Maj. Gen. Jason Bohm, the head of Marine Corps Recruiting Service, said far fewer than 30% of young people are eligible to serve in that branch.
‘If you break it down further into those skill sets, intelligence level, and the physical ability level, those that we’re looking toward bringing into the Marine Corps… quickly decreases to about 7%,’ he said.
That’s enormously challenging.
The bipartisan group “Mission: Readiness” has called attention to young Americans’ lagging health standards, which could potentially have a long-term negative impact on national security.
While it’s correct to criticize the never-ending wars and other ventures that mostly serve the military-industrial complex’s interests, there is still a need for a strong national defense. To ensure that, America must have a physically and mentally strong population to tap into for future military recruits.
The current lockdown mania will only accelerate this trend of health deterioration as people are locked in their houses with most outdoor activities being put on hold for the time being. If America is serious about potentially confronting a Great Power like China it should work hard to keep Americans of all ages in shape. It can start by cutting off subsidies to a number of junk foods that increase the chances of Americans becoming obese. A healthy America at the domestic level, is a healthy America on the international stage.
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