Air Force Loosening Body Fat Requirements Amid Recruiting Struggles

Senior Airman Jessica Mead, 407th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron personal trainer, takes a body fat measurement using calipers in a file image. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Francesca Popp via The Epoch Times

The U.S. Air Force is lowering body fat standards for new recruits as the military branch struggles to find enough people to join its ranks.

Males will be limited to a maximum of 26 percent body fat, while females face a maximum of 36 percent, Leslie Brown, a spokesperson for the Air Force Recruiting Service, told The Epoch Times via email. The previous requirements were 20 percent and 28 percent.