Rising rates of obesity across the U.S. Armed Forces are an “urgent threat” that needs to be rectified as soon as possible.
That’s according to a new letter drafted by national organizations and more than 70 national security, military and public health stakeholders, addressed to the Pentagon and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The correspondence cites increased rates of overweight service members and their obesity as the leading causes of recruitment disqualification, in addition to being key drivers of early separation, injury and serious adverse health events—describing all factors as “posing an urgent threat to readiness, manpower, and the overall health of the force.”
The letter’s main signees are the American Security Project (ASP) and Obesity Care Advocacy Network (OCAN), with support from other groups and organizations including the American Diabetes Association, American Psychological Association Services, and the Lupus Foundation of America.
Individuals Voice Concern
Another 13 individual signatories also signed on, including Ret. Brig. Gen. Stephen Cheney of the United States Marine Corps, former Republican New Jersey Gov. Christine Whitman, and Ret. Brig. Gen. Allyson Solomon of the U.S. Air Force.
“Maintaining a force that is physically ready is not optional,” said Solomon, also former commander of the Maryland Air National Guard, in a statement. “Rising obesity rates undermine operational effectiveness, limit deployable manpower, and create vulnerabilities in our national defense posture.
“Addressing these challenges through evidence-based prevention and treatment programs ensures that every service member has the tools and support to maintain peak readiness and meet the demands of their mission.”
Dr. Richele Corrado, another signatory, is the former director of the Comprehensive Weight Management Program at Walter Reed and a Navy physician.
Obesity is a chronic, biologically mediated disease that requires a comprehensive approach to care, underscoring the need for service-specific policies that formally recognize obesity as a disease and provide clear guidance for its evaluation and management among active-duty service members. - Corrado in a statement
DOD did not respond to Military.com in time for publication. Military.com also reached out to OCAN for comment.
Obesity 'Risks' to Retention, Recruitment and Readiness
Hegseth’s aim to transform the Pentagon was exemplified by a speech last year at Quantico when he called for a new U.S. “warrior ethos” that includes more stringent standards regarding how service members physically take care of themselves, such as maintaining facial hair and dressing for the duty.
Katherine Yusko, a senior research fellow at ASP who leads the organization’s military readiness portfolio, told Military.com that this new letter was spurred in part by Hegseth’s emphasis on boosting physical fitness within the ranks.
Secretary Hegseth's speech clearly demonstrated to us that the U.S. military's physical fitness is one of his top priorities. ASP is focused on identifying the risks that obesity poses to military retention, recruitment and readiness, and offering pathways to help mitigate these risks. - Katherine Yusko
“Physical fitness is one element of this equation, and ASP believes that service members should have reliable access to the full suite of evidence-based treatment and prevention mechanisms they need to stay healthy and fit—from physical exercise to nutritional therapy to medical intervention.”
A Decade of Improvement Efforts
ASP’s efforts on this front aren’t new. It has been researching and writing about the national security risks of military obesity for nearly a decade, with input from the government/military, industry and civil society stakeholders over the last 3-4 years.
That has led to numerous published written reports in the years 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Yusko said that more access to such resources will reduce service members’ potential reliance on dangerous rapid weight loss strategies, such as crashing dieting, overexercise, abuse of laxatives and diuretics, etc., which she said can have serious health implications that damage readiness “even if service members are within body composition limits.”
“Because of obesity's risks to manpower and readiness, we are glad to see the DOD recognize the importance of countering this chronic disease in the military, and we hope our recommendations will help it do so in a way that promotes both military readiness and the individual health of each service member,” she said.
A February 2024 CDC report titled "Unfit to Serve" said that just 2-in-5 young adults are both weight-eligible and adequately active to join the military. They noted that being overweight or obese, suffering from educational deficits, or having a criminal or drug abuse record, were the three main reasons for ineligibility in serving.
In 2020, 19% of active-duty service members had obesity per the CDC—up from 16% in 2015. Between 2008 and 2017, active-duty soldiers were reported to sustain more than 3.6 million musculoskeletal injuries, with one study linking obese active-duty soldiers being 33% more likely to get such an injury.
As of February 2024, DOD annually spent about $1.5 billion annually in obesity-related health care costs for current and former service members and their families, as well as costs to replace personnel who do not met fitness requirements.
Lost workdays due to being overweight and having obesity equated to 658,000 days per year, annually costing DOD $103 million.
Yusko and ASP remain “absolutely hopeful” that they will receive a response from DOD, with recommendations ultimately implemented in defense policy.
Major Recommendations to Improve Health
The letter sent Monday states that a similar call for action occurred in April 2024, when the ASP and more than 50 signatories sent correspondence to then-Defense Secretary Lloyd James Austin III requesting increased access to vital obesity care for military personnel, along with a review of the process for identifying and treating obesity.
After the letter sent last year to previous Defense Secretary Austin, they received a written response from Dr. Lester Martínez-López, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, who according to Yusko agreed that military obesity is a threat to national security and that a review of recommendations would take place.
These are the major changes that ASP, OCAN and signatories are seeking to occur under Hegseth’s leadership:
Obesity prevention in the form of increased exercise opportunities and enhanced access to healthy foods and beverages, per the Center for Disease Control’s federal facility food service guidelines. That includes periodic, service-wide reviews of on-base nutrition environments and nutrition program assessments to develop a broader framework.
Early intervention by way of referring service members who exceed weight standards to a medical professional for a comprehensive health review and discussion of treatment options.
Evidence-based obesity treatment that includes improved access to safe and effective treatments, including nutrition counseling, behavioral and lifestyle interventions and FDA-approved obesity medications.
Expanded research conducted with additional funding for research that assesses the impacts of obesity on military readiness, plus the potential cost-saving implications of various prevention and treatment mechanisms.
Increased education on unsafe practices, such as how disordered eating and unregulated weight loss substances can potentially increase health risks.
Assured treatment coverage that calls for a reversal of recent cuts to TRICARE coverage of obesity medications, including GLP-1s, for TRICARE for Life beneficiaries and other specialty groups. That includes a reopening of provider networks for beneficiaries under TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Select.
