Almost 80 Percent of Americans Aged 17 to 24 Unfit for Military Service

Almost 80 Percent of Americans Aged 17 to 24 Unfit for Military Service
U.S. soldier firing a weapon during a training exercise on Nov. 5, 2020. 1st Lt. Angelo Mejia/U.S. Army
Autumn Spredemann
Updated:
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It’s no secret that the U.S. military is struggling to find people who are fit for service these days. Maintaining health and wellness among its existing members has also become a challenge.

A Department of Defense report cited during a Feb. 16 congressional hearing offered a hard pill to swallow: 77 percent of Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 are unqualified physically to enter the armed forces. That’s a 6 percent increase from 2017, which has added to the struggle to find new recruits in every branch of the military.
Autumn Spredemann
Autumn Spredemann
Author
Autumn is a South America-based reporter covering primarily Latin American issues for The Epoch Times.
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