Our nation is in trouble, and the worst part is, the vast majority of Americans are likely not even aware of just how dire the situation is.
According to a study by the Pentagon, 77% of young Americans require a waiver to qualify for military service due to issues such as being overweight, drug use, and mental or physical health problems, American Military News reported.
“When considering youth disqualified for one reason alone, the most prevalent disqualification rates are overweight (11 percent), drug and alcohol abuse (8 percent), and medical/physical health (7 percent),” the Pentagon’s 2020 Qualified Military Available Study of Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 read.
The summary of the report highlighted several key findings, one of which was that the majority of ineligible youth (44 percent) were disqualified for multiple reasons.
Among those disqualified for a single reason, being overweight was the leading cause of disqualification, accounting for 11 percent. Other top categories include drug use (8 percent), medical or physical issues only (7 percent), and mental health issues only (4 percent).
The study highlighted the fact that this problem has been getting worse for a decade.
One of the significant changes noticed between 2013 and 2020 was the rise in disqualification rates for mental health and overweight conditions. “Another key finding was that the proportion of youth both eligible and not currently enrolled in college was only 12 percent,” the outlet continued.
Anxiety regarding the diminishing number of prospective enlistees has intensified in recent times. Maj. Charlie Dietz, a spokesperson for the Department of Defense, acknowledged that the study validated the difficulties in attracting new members to the military.
“There are many factors that we are navigating through, such as the fact that youth are more disconnected and disinterested compared to previous generations,” Dietz said, according to Military.com. “The declining veteran population and shrinking military footprint has contributed to a market that is unfamiliar with military service resulting in an overreliance of military stereotypes.”
The Pentagon sounded the alarm about recruiting shortfalls in September.
“The Department anticipates we will collectively miss our recruiting mission despite accessing more than 170,000 remarkable young men and women” in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, said Stephanie Miller, deputy assistant secretary of defense for military personnel policy, in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee. “This constitutes an unprecedented mission gap and is reason for concern.”
