A new report from the Pentagon Inspector General reveals that the US Army has been compromising its fitness requirements in order to meet its ambitious recruitment targets

The findings come shortly after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth celebrated the service’s “best recruiting numbers” in 15 years — a milestone reached just last month.

According to the Inspector General’s report, around 14 percent of 1,100 trainees between February and May 2024 exceeded the Army’s body fat standards, even after adjusting the thresholds and providing ample time to meet the required weight.

Under the Future Soldier Preparatory Course, applicants who are more than 8 percent over the body fat limit can still enlist, provided they lose the excess weight within 90 days.

The US Army’s standard body fat limit is 26 percent for men and 36 percent for women.

The Inspector General highlighted that some recruits were allowed to enlist with body fat percentages up to 19 percent above the standard, meaning some male recruits could have had body fat levels as high as 45 percent.

For the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these levels would likely be considered “morbid obesity.”

No Enough Medical Services

In addition to compromised fitness standards, the Pentagon’s Inspector General expressed concerns over the Army’s failure to provide adequate medical services to help overweight recruits reduce body fat.

Reports indicate that the Army has not deployed enough dieticians or medical staff to support struggling recruits.

Furthermore, recruits who surpass the 90-day adjustment period are not receiving proper metabolic health assessments. Instead, they are being granted incomplete medical clearances before moving on to basic training.

The report notes, “With the limited medical support and percent of trainees above the body fat composition limit, trainees are at increased risk of suffering adverse medical consequences while trying to lose weight in a short time.”

The US Army has not yet responded to questions regarding how severely overweight applicants are passing initial screening processes.