Armed Forces

John F Kennedy once said “A young man who does not have what it takes to perform military service is not likely to have what it takes to make a living. Today’s military rejects include tomorrow’s hard-core unemployed.”  While times have changed and President Kennedy’s ideals about non-military members may no longer hold the same literal truth, what is undeniable is that as the country has gotten less physically healthy, more and more Americans have fallen into the category of unfit for military service. In 2009, the Pentagon using information gathered from the CDC concluded that over one third of our nation’s youth is physically ineligible to serve in the military. With the report further stating that 35 million Americans aged 17-24 (the sweet spot for military recruiting) on the basis of physical and medical issues fail to qualify for service.

Obesity seems to be the common denominator. The Center for Disease Control reported in 2009, that a quarter of 18-34 year old Americans are obese. That represents a nineteen percent increase since 1987. Curt Gilroy the director of accessions for the Pentagon has voiced his concern with this issue stating “we have an obesity crisis in the country.” Gilroy further went on to lament this by calling into question the physical capabilities of our youth, claiming “young people, by and large can’t do pushups and they can’t run.” If the trend continues we may someday have a severe shortage of military personnel. As it is, the ability to run and do pushups is tested by the armed forces in a physical fitness test, prior to the completion of enlistment.

To join the military, certain minimum enlistment requirements must be met, these differ slightly by branch:

Branch	Requirements:
Air Force	Age range of 17-27. Have fewer than three dependents. Successfully complete the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude test.
Army	Age range of 17-34. Have fewer than three dependents. Successfully complete Armed Services Vocational Aptitude test.
Coast Guard	Age range of 17- 39 Have fewer than three dependents. Successfully complete Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test. Have the ability to serve on or around the water.
Marines	Capable of meeting the physical, mental, and moral standards. Age range of 17-29. Successfully complete ASVAB test.
Navy	Age range of 17-34. Successfully complete Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test.

*Applicants aged 17 must receive parental consent prior to enlisting.

Beyond the base requirements of enlistment, specific medical conditions prevent service. An applicant must not have any contagious disease which could endanger others; physical defects that hamper ability also preclude service. Military members must be physically and medically capable of performing their duties in an exemplary fashion. In order to determine the capabilities of every service member and allowing for the graduation from boot camp, each branch of the military conducts their own physical fitness test (PFT).

Air force:

Males	Run (2 miles)	Run (1.5 mile)	Push-ups	Sit-ups	Pull-ups
Liberator (minimum graduation standard)	16:45 min.	11:57 min.	45	50	0
Thunderbolt (honor graduate standard)	14:15 min.	8:55 min.	62	70	4
Warhawk (extraordinary – highest standard)	13:30 min.	8:08 min.	75	80	10
Females
Liberator (minimum graduation standard)	19:45 min.	13:56 min.	27	50	0
Thunderbolt (honor graduate standard)	16:00 min.	11:33 min.	37	60	2
Warhawk (extraordinary –highest standard)	15:00 min.	10:55 min.	40	75	5

Army Basic Training:

Age Group	Gender	Push-Ups	Sit-Ups	2-Mile Run
17 – 21	Male	35	47	16:36
	Female	13	47	19:42
22 – 26	Male	31	43	17:30
	Female	11	43	20:36

Army Advanced Infantry Training:

Age Group	Gender	Push-Ups	Sit-Ups	2-Mile Run
17 – 21	Male	42	53	15:54
	Female	19	53	18:54
22 – 26	Male	40	50	16:36
	Female	17	50	19:36

Navy:

Performance		Push-Ups	1.5 Mile Run
Category	Level
Outstanding	High	92	8:15
Outstanding	Medium	91	8:45
Outstanding	Low	86	9:00
Excellent	High	82	9:15
Excellent	Medium	79	9:30
Excellent	Low	76	9:45
Good	High	68	10:00
Good	Medium	60	10:30
Good	Low	51	11:00
Satisfactory	High	49	12:00
Satisfactory	Medium	46	12:15
Probationary		42	12:30

Marines:

Fitness Requirements for Each PFT Event (Males)
Age	Pull-Ups	Crunches	3-Mile Run
17-26	3	50	28:00
27-39	3	45	29:00
40-45	3	45	30:00
46	3	40	33:00

 

Fitness Requirements for Each PFT Event  (Females)
Age	Flexed-Arm Hang	Crunches	3-Mile Run
17-26	15 Seconds	50	31:00
27-39	15 Seconds	45	32:00
40-45	15 Seconds	45	33:00
46	15 Seconds	40	36:00

 

Marine Corps PFT Classification Scores  (Both Male and Female)
Class	Age 17-26	Age 27-39	Age 40-45	Age 46
1st	225	200	175	150
2nd	175	150	125	100
3rd	135	110	88	65

*Physical Fitness Requirements sourced from:  http://www.military.com/

Every year, an estimated 180,000 Americans enlist in the military. The good news is that a healthy desire to serve still exists among our nation’s youth. The bad news is that every year, more and more young people become too physically unhealthy to pass the basic requirements necessary to serve. As it stands, this issue represents a pressing national security threat. We depend on our troops to maintain the quality of life and safety we enjoy in this country. It is of paramount importance to this nation (for reasons extending far beyond service) that we reverse the obesity endemic and raise future generations of healthy, fit children, who will go on to become healthy, fit adults.