The U.S. Army is breaking with its own fitness standards on body fat percentage to gain more recruits, a report from the Department of Defense (DOD) Inspector General found Feb. 18.
The Army Future Soldier Preparatory Course, established by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs (ASA[M&RA]), gives recruits who do not meet base fitness standards 90 days to fall in line, and allows individuals who are as much as 8% above the required body fat percentage — 26% for men and 36% for women — to enlist. However, the DOD Investigator General found that 14% of 1,181 trainees at the Army Training Center and Fort Jackson (ATC&FJ) between February and May 2024 exceeded these expanded limits.
“Aggravating the issue with the lack of medical resources, ATC&FJ leadership allowed trainees into the program who did not meet the body fat percentage standards established by the ASA(M&RA),” the report read. “Of the 1,181 trainees who attended the ARMS 2.0 pilot program from February 12, 2024, through May 22, 2024, 14 percent (163 trainees) exceeded the allowable 8 percent above the body fat composition limit for initial entry, with the highest being 19 percent.”
Gen. Gary Brito, head of Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) who oversees the course, “unilaterally” and “without authority,” enacted a policy to accept trainees at 10% above the body fat standard, according to the report.
Moreover, over a third of trainees were dismissed immediately after arriving at ATC&FJ too overweight, according to the report. Investigators also claimed that dieticians tasked with aiding the overweight recruits were vastly overworked, with some seeing up to 400 to 500 recruits at any given time.
The Investigator General raised concerns that the high level of overweight recruits would potentially suffer from “adverse medical consequences” due to their losing weight over the short 90-day period and “limited medical support.”
“In internal communication addressing the ARMS 2.0 pilot program allowable body fat percentages, the TRADOC Command Surgeon and ATC&FJ Division Medical Director identified and acknowledged increased risks to trainees’ health, including the risk of death, while trying to lose weight quickly to meet the body fat percentage standards,” the report read.
The Army has suffered from enlistment woes in recent years, falling below various benchmarks for recruitment from 2020 to 2024, according to Army statistics. Despite a 12.5% rebound in recruitment across the whole armed services in fiscal year 2024, the recruitment market remains “disinterested,” particularly among young people, according to the DOD.
Moreover, around 77% of Americans would be unfit to serve without a waiver due to obesity, according to DOD slides obtained by Military.com in 2020.
“We acknowledge the Department of Defense Inspector General’s report on their findings within the Future Soldier Preparatory Course (FSPC) and are working diligently to implement their recommendations where applicable. We have also requested the U.S. Army Audit Agency conduct an audit this quarter to assist us in our remediation efforts,” TRADOC told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement. “The FSPC was established to invest in America’s youth to overcome academic and physical fitness barriers to meet the Army’s rigorous accession standards. We remain committed to not lowering standards. Additionally, we are steadfast in our commitment to the health and safety of our Soldiers, ensuring that all training is conducted in a manner that prioritizes their well-being.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include a comment provided by TRADOC to the DCNF.
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