[Buster]

One of the reasons to do this is to increase the pool of folks who can make the cut.



http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/0...-chow-092710w/

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The changes inherent to Soldier Athlete are increasingly necessary as the Army is faced with an increasingly obese and unhealthy recruiting pool, Hertling said.

“We are only able to recruit about 25 percent of the population pool because the other 75 percent are too obese, have mental issues or a criminal past,” he said. “So the ones we’re really looking at are not in as good of shape as they were in the past.”

The obesity rate among 17- to 24-year-olds has increased from 14 percent to 23 percent in the past 10 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From 1998 to 2008, the number of states in which 40 percent or more of young adults are overweight or obese grew from one to 39. The fact is not lost on Hertling, who described the negative trends he has seen in the ability of new soldiers to pass the entry-level fitness test that includes one minute of sit-ups, one minute of push-ups and a one-mile run.
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