[elfsight_social_share_buttons id=”1″]

Concerning reports show that the U.S. military may be growing the wrong way after service members gained too many pandemic pounds.

The Uniformed Services University found that nearly 25% of active-duty soldiers studied are now obese. From February 2019 to June 2021, nearly 10,000 active-duty Army soldiers gained move into this classification. Researchers found similar increases in the Navy and the Marines.

Overweight and obese military service members are less capable to meet the physical demands of their jobs. They are also at a greater risk of injury.

Researchers are calling for changes to improve the health of military members.

The report comes at a time the military branches are struggling to meet recruitment goals. This has led some experts to warn of a future crisis that will impact U.S. military readiness.

Meanwhile, a Pentagon study says about 7 out of 10 young Americans do not meet enlistment qualifications to begin with. The top reasons include being overweight, substance abuse, and medical health reasons.