# Close to 75% of young Americans, ages 17 to 24, are not eligible for the military **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 20, 2018, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224 "2018-02-20T20:30:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/1 "2018-02-20T20:30:29Z")
SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT?? [ **Fat, unhealthy Americans threaten Trump’s defense surge** _Rising obesity numbers, drug use, criminal backgrounds and other problems mean most people at prime military recruiting age are ineligible to serve._](https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/19/pentagon-buildup-troop-recruiting-shortage-351365) > [@](#): > > The Trump administration’s ambitious new military buildup is at risk of being hobbled before it even starts — by a dwindling pool of young Americans who are fit to serve. > > Nearly three-quarters of Americans age 17 to 24 are ineligible for the military due to obesity, other health problems, criminal backgrounds or lack of education, according to government data. That’s a harsh reality check for the Pentagon’s plan to recruit tens of thousands of new soldiers, sailors, pilots and cyber specialists over the next five years. > > “We all have this image in our mind of this hearty American citizen, scrappy, that can do anything,” said retired Army Lt. Gen. Tom Spoehr, co-author of a new Heritage Foundation paper on the military recruiting challenge titled The Looming National Security Crisis. “That image we keep in our heads is no longer accurate.” > > “Obesity and the percentage of people overweight in the country has just skyrocketed in the last 10 to 15 years,” he added in an interview. “Asthma is going up. High school graduation rates are still just barely acceptable and in some big cities they are miserable. Criminality is also not going away. We have to face the reality that these things in some cases are getting worse, not better.” > … Apart from the military recruiting implications, this is pretty, well… disgusting. > [@](#): > > [By the numbers](https://www.axios.com/the-dwindling-pool-of-americans-eligible-for-the-military-1519150735-7cd935bb-e9b2-4f73-b745-eb189fb20fbc.html): > > ``` > [ul] > > ``` > > [li]“The new budget calls for increasing the size of the military by 25,900 people through October 2019 and by a total of 56,600 by 2023 — all mostly active-duty troops.”[/li][li] The obesity rate among younger adults is about 32%, per CDC data.[/li][li] High school graduation rates hit an all-time high of 84.1% in 2017, but there are still major cities and states reporting much lower rates, such as 70.7% in Montgomery, Alabama and 51.3% in Albany, Oregon, Spoehr notes. Young people must have high school degrees or GEDs to serve.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/2 "2018-02-20T20:36:56Z")
Does it matter? The US military only has 2 million active and reserve soldiers in it. If 75% of people age 17-24 are disqualified that isn’t going to result in a labor shortage. I’d assume there are close to 30 million people age 17-24, which means at least 8 million are eligible. And not everyone in the military is age 17-24. There is still a labor surplus. Even if there was a labor shortage (due to world war for example), they’d probably institute a draft and mandatory weight loss camp. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/3 "2018-02-20T20:38:43Z")
We are failing our children. But we knew that. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/4 "2018-02-20T20:48:33Z")
What’s the percentage once you substract soft/medium\* drugs? The US military seems to recruit chiefly from members of the lower economic strata from lesser developed areas looking to get a leg up in terms of job training, education, benefits and job stability. That group isn’t doing too well in terms of obesity, educational achievement and hard drugs. Relatedly, the modern military was designed in the 19th century with the expectation of tens of semi-skilled workmen being led by one university-level person, much like a construction crew being led by an engineer or a factory floor being led by a manager. That causes it to clash with the modern economy. The military may have a much easier time, both in terms of recruitment and effectiveness, once it restructures itself. And also when it stops requiring that people be either liars or Mormons to join. \*Like MDMA ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/5 "2018-02-20T20:53:34Z")
This has me wondering: Apparently the USAF and USN both recently raised their age limits to well over age 30. So my (eyeglasses-wearing, scrawny, not good at running long distances) thoughts about joining the military might not still be too late yet… ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/6 "2018-02-20T21:10:47Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > We are failing our children. But we knew that. Opposite of failing. We’re not dissuading our kids from becoming ineligible to join the war machine. Fat and stoned will keep them alive. Maybe we can draft congressmen, get some military experience into those families. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/7 "2018-02-20T21:23:45Z")
> [@B-Rad](#): > > Opposite of failing. We’re not dissuading our kids from becoming ineligible to join the war machine. Fat and stoned will keep them alive. Maybe we can draft congressmen, get some military experience into those families. I’m down with keeping kids out of the war machine. I really am. But I’m also wishing the path wasn’t via un-educated and un-healthy children. Let’s try to raise educated, skilled, healthy and happy pacifists. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/8 "2018-02-20T21:32:10Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > What’s the percentage once you substract soft/medium\* drugs? > > The US military seems to recruit chiefly from members of the lower economic strata from lesser developed areas looking to get a leg up in terms of job training, education, benefits and job stability. That group isn’t doing too well in terms of obesity, educational achievement and hard drugs. Unless things have changed since my enlistment, past drug use does not disqualify you from serving. Actual conversation with the processing clerk when I was entering military service: Clerk: What illegal drugs have you taken Me: [Lists a few highlights from my high school days] Clerk: When was the last time you did any of these Me: What time is it? Clerk: [Not amused face] ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/9 "2018-02-20T21:37:21Z")
[We used to have the opposite problem](http://archive.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/07/04/weight_issue_plagues_military_recruiting/): > [@](#): > > Ironically, the big concern used to be soldiers not weighing enough. Congress passed the school lunch program after World War II, worried that too many high schoolers were malnourished and unfit to fight. As for “we are failing our children,” I think that there are many different ways we’re failing them. Climate change is like way #1; obesity is pretty far behind that one. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/10 "2018-02-20T21:45:43Z")
Re: Congress’ school lunch program–irony indeed. Kids today are fatter, but I wonder if they’re healthier than the skinny WWII kids. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/11 "2018-02-20T21:59:39Z")
I applaud them for getting this report out. Once the government decides something is a national security issue, then stuff happens. Maybe we can get past some of the nonsense political ideology that prevents some of this stuff from being addressed. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/12 "2018-02-20T22:12:46Z")
The military has decided that a wide variety of medical conditions which are receiving much better diagnosis and treatment today disqualify someone from the military, as well as anyone diagnosed with a condition like Dyslexia who need any level of accomodation in a regular job or school, and anyone who’s had eating disorders, bedwetting, or sleepwalking issues as a teenager. This is a pretty comprehensive set of disqualifications, and the idea that someone who needed a half a year talking to a therapist or took antidepressants at all is completely unqualified seems a bit broad to me. Also the military rejects anyone with any history of marijuana use (though there’s a lot of ‘wink and nod’ in practice), including medical, even though it’s now legal in many states. The talk about ‘failing our children’ seems a bit silly when broad categories of children who have treatable medical conditions are rejected by the military specifically for receiving treatment for those conditions. > [@](#): > > Mood disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, psychoses, and other unspecified depressive issues are disqualifying. Any history of mood disorders requiring medication and/or outpatient care for longer than six months by a mental health professional is also disqualifying. > [@](#): > > Anxiety issues, either current or historical, or panic, agoraphobia, social phobia, simple phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorders, other acute reactions to stress, and posttraumatic stress are disqualifying for entry into the service. > [@](#): > > Current or history of academic skills or perceptual defects secondary to organic or functional mental disorders, including, but not limited to dyslexia, that interfere with school or employment, are disqualifying. Applicants demonstrating passing academic and employment performance without utilization or recommendation of academic and/ or work accommodations at any time in the previous 12 months may be qualified. > [@](#): > > 1 - Enuresis or encopresis after the 13th birthday is disqualifying. 2 - Sleepwalking after 13th birthday is disqualifying. 3 - Eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, or other unspecified eating disorders lasting longer than three months and occurring after the 14th birthday is also disqualifying. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/13 "2018-02-20T22:29:02Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > [We used to have the opposite problem](http://archive.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/07/04/weight_issue_plagues_military_recruiting/): > > As for “we are failing our children,” I think that there are many different ways we’re failing them. Climate change is like way #1; obesity is pretty far behind that one. As I recall, a large impetus for the creation of Physical Education programs in schools was the fact that the military couldn’t find enough healthy and fit recruits early in the century. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/14 "2018-02-20T22:55:52Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > [We used to have the opposite problem](http://archive.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/07/04/weight_issue_plagues_military_recruiting/): > > As for “we are failing our children,” I think that there are many different ways we’re failing them. Climate change is like way #1; obesity is pretty far behind that one. Climate change. Resource depletion. Overpriced health care. Entrenched plutocracy. Student loan debt. A culture defined by white nationalism. Leaving them unprepared for a mass wave of unemployment due to automation. The rise of authoritarian populism. The baby boomer retirement crisis due to lack of savings. There are lots of ways we are failing the kids today. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/15 "2018-02-20T23:46:25Z")
Imagine how popular Golden Corral will become if the draft is were to be reinstated. Instead of sit-ins to protest war, we can have eat-ins. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/16 "2018-02-21T00:08:16Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > The US military seems to recruit chiefly from members of the lower economic strata from lesser developed areas looking to get a leg up in terms of job training, education, benefits and job stability. That group isn’t doing too well in terms of obesity, educational achievement and hard drugs. “Seems to…” Ive spoken with many recruiters over the years. They are assigned areas and have to hit all the schools. They hated having to “waste time” going to schools with poorer students. They all said it was very hard to get any to listen to them. Recruiting was easier in schools with middle and lower middle class students. No hard data there but I know people working in the system at least and have 27 years of experience seeing new soldiers come in to the military. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/17 "2018-02-21T01:15:14Z")
The military has a one-size fits all policy. There are plenty of posts in the military that do not require full fitness. It was not always like that. I had a one-eyed uncle who was drafted in WW II. He was an auto mechanic and they put him to repairing tanks. I sure they could find jobs for people with bone spurs if they tried. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/18 "2018-02-21T01:29:55Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Imagine how popular Golden Corral will become if the draft is were to be reinstated. > > Instead of sit-ins to protest war, we can have eat-ins. You can get anything you want at Alice’s Restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/19 "2018-02-21T01:45:59Z")
When we had the big surge after 9/11, standards were relaxed. They’ll do it again if they really feel the need. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/20 "2018-02-21T02:23:09Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > When we had the big surge after 9/11, standards were relaxed. They’ll do it again if they really feel the need. It doesn’t make the news because it’s on a smaller scale but they change the enlistment requirements from month to month depending on need. For example when I joined I was told no one with a GED was allowed to join. In Basic Training there were several recruits who took the test got their GED so they joined without ever having even a GED… It all depended on what the standards were when you signed the papers. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224.md?page=2)