from WND:
Either too fat, abuse drugs and alcohol, or in too poor of health to serve
A whopping 77 percent of American youth in the optimal military recruitment age of 17 to 24 years old are disqualified due to being too fat, abusing drugs and/or alcohol, or for being in poor medical health, according to a resurfaced Defense Department study.
TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/
Slide from 2020 DOD ‘Qualified Military Available’ study (screenshot of PDF, American Military News)
The stunning data was first reported in September 2022 but came from a 2020 Department of Defense, or DOD, “Qualified Military Available,” or QMA, study of youth ages 17-24 years old. The study was published by the DOD’s office of personnel and readiness.
The numbers represent a 6 percent increase in “disqualified” youth from the previous QMA assessment of data ending in 1997, which found that a whopping 71 percent of recruitment-aged youth were disqualified.
The 2020 data are found in a slide from the study (see above graphic) with the following “key findings,” reprinted verbatim:
- The proportion of youth eligible for military service without a waiver is 23%. This is a decrease from previous estimates (29%).
- Most eligible youth are disqualified for multiple reasons (44%).
- The largest increases in disqualification estimates observed between 2013 and 2020 were for mental health and overweight conditions.
- When considering youth disqualified for one reason alone, the most prevalent disqualification rates are overweight (11%), drug [and alcohol] abuse (8%), and medical/physical health (7%).
- The proportion of youth who are Qualified Military Available (QMA), defined as both eligible and not currently enrolled in college, is 12%.
Last September, Military.com obtained the study information and confirmed its accuracy through Defense Department spokesman Maj. Charlie Dietz.
