Army eases weight rules for recruits
They'll still have to shed pounds after they join
The recently introduced waiver program allows enlistees who don't qualify for the military because of their weight a chance to shape up after joining. So far, the program has helped the Army make its recruiting goals in what remains a tight recruiting market.
If the economic recession worsens, it could help the military's recruiting efforts as people seek stable employment. That could reduce the need for waiver programs. However, nutritionists don't see the trend of overweight Americans disappearing any time soon, ensuring the continuance of such programs in recruiting an all-volunteer force.
"We support any service who comes up with a scientifically defensible way of expanding the market (of recruits)," said Curtis Gilroy, director of accessions policy for the Pentagon.
The Army's weight waiver program rests largely on a distinction between individuals who are overweight or obese and those who are physically fit but whose "body mass index," or BMI, doesn't meet Army standards.
"The point is to get the football-player kinda kids. It's not to get the couch-potato kids," says Beth Asch, a senior economist at the Rand Corp. who studies military recruiting.
The Army program is a "sensible move," says Asch, but to remain effective it must have oversight.
"There can be a temptation, not necessarily at the commanding level but at the ground level with the recruiter, who would want to slip in a kid who is overweight and has no business being in the Army," she says. "There needs to be monitoring."
So far, the percentage of those in the program who don't get into shape and are then discharged is low among both men and women.
Recent comments
I'm fat. I am 6'2 and 395lbs I am 24yrs old, its all in the stomach...
Mike Harrison | Feb. 5, 2009 at 1:17 a.m.
Really they are looking to find a way to get the guys in that have no...
Simonblackfell | Jan. 14, 2009 at 1:05 p.m.
Lucky for all of us, we still have the Marines!
Pazuzu | Jan. 11, 2009 at 9:52 p.m.
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