A new Department of Defense inspector general’s report revealed that the U.S. Army allowed recruits who did not meet qualifications to join.
The “Management Advisory: Army’s Future Soldier Preparatory Course Places Trainees At Increased Risk of Adverse Health Effects” found that recruiters and leadership at the Army Training Center and Fort Jackson admitted recruits with body fat percentages that did not comply with the military branch’s physical fitness requirements and standards. According to the report, 14% of the recruits admitted between February and May 2024 who became trainees in the Army’s Future Soldier Preparatory Course program exceeded “the allowable 8% above the body fat composition limit for initial entry, with the highest being 19%.” It specified in the report that no waivers were granted for these conditions, meaning these recruits should have never been admitted into the program.
Complicating the matter, in addition to violating standards, was the strain admitting such people put on the Army’s medical resources, the report mentioned. Such practices are hazardous given that the recruits admitted above the acceptable body fat percentage levels could experience dangerous health issues because they must lose a significant amount of weight in a short period of time in their training to meet the body fat percentages to graduate.
“Based on interviews with ATC&FJ officials and the Division Medical Director and a review of ATC&FJ medical policy, we determined that ATC&FJ leadership prioritized the program’s already limited medical resources on the 14% of trainees above the authorized body fat composition limit,” read the report. “With the limited medical support and percentage of trainees above the body fat composition limit, the ARMS (Assessment of Recruit Motivation and Strength) 2.0 pilot program trainees are at an increased risk of suffering adverse medical consequences while trying to lose weight in a short time.”
The potential dangers include the risk of death, the report claimed, due to the need of trainees who were not compliant with body fat requirements “to lose weight quickly to meet the body fat percentage standards.”
According to the official policy, any recruit who sought to join the Army was supposed to be, at most, only 8% above body fat requirements to enlist before training to comply with military standards.
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The Army’s Future Soldier Preparatory Course was created to act as a backchannel entrance into the military for those who initially would be disqualified from enlisting due to being unable to meet requirements, such as physical fitness standards, among others, according to Military.com. If a recruit was outside these requirements, the applicant was granted 90 days to comply with Army regulations.
Any recruit who failed to do so would not be admitted into the military branch.
