Surging rates of obesity are putting Americans at risk for a number of dangerous health complications, but now, a group of retired military leaders say the excess weight gain also poses a threat to national security.
"It's not drug abuse, it's not asthma, it's not flat feet – by far the leading medical reason is being overweight or obese," said retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Norman Seip at a news conference Monday.
Twenty-seven percent of young adults are unable to meet physical requirements to join the military, according to a report "Too Fat to Fight," released by Mission: Readiness, a group of retired admirals, generals and other senior military leaders.
It is a number so high, the group says, it is threatening national security.
Although different branches of the military have their own policies, they all measure strength, body fat, aerobic capacity, weight and height, according to CNN. A person must pass physical fitness standards, including push-ups and sit-ups, upon signing up for enlistment.
"The logic is pretty obvious," Retired Army Brig. Gen. Clara Adams-Ender said. "The troops need to be in excellent physical condition because of the demands of the important jobs they do in defense. Rigorous physical and mental standards are critical if we are to maintain the fighting readiness of our military."
To qualify for the Army, the maximum weight depends on a person's ***, height and age, but the Army allows women up to 241 pounds and men up to 259 pounds. Women with no prior service can have no more than 36 percent body fat content and men up to 30 percent, depending on age.
Once enlisted, individuals must pass annual physical tests.
Some experts link sugary beverages and fast food to the surge of obesity rates, but according to the 130-plus retired military leaders of Mission: Readiness, school lunches may also be to blame. In the report, the group calls for less junk food in schools, better nutrition programs for kids and overall better funding for federally provided school lunches.
"Since 1995, the proportion of recruits who failed their physical exams because they were overweight has risen by nearly 70 percent," said Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to ABC News. "We need to reverse this trend, and an excellent place to start is by improving the quality of food served in our schools."
School lunches and the military may not have a direct connection, but the two work somewhat like a chain reaction, some experts say.
The National School Lunch Program provided low-cost or free lunches to more than 30.5 million children each school day in 2008, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Through school lunch and breakfast programs, children "acquire close to 40 percent of their daily calories at school," said President of Shape Up America! Barbara Moore to ABC News.
"We lose upwards to 12,000 young men and young women a year before they even finish up the first term of enlistment," Seip said. "That's another person, who has been recruited, trained and left because they're not able to maintain standards and can't pass the physical fitness test."
Mission: Readiness is urging Congress to pass a new childhood nutrition law to remove school junk food, improve nutritional standards and quality of school meals, and to open access to anti-obesity programs for children, according to CNN. Specifically, they want schools to fry less and boost the fruits, vegetables and whole grains in meals.
"If we do something about it, school can become a terrific environment for proper meals," Retired Navy Rear Adm. James Barnett said.
