Military finds 75 percent of today’s youth can’t serve | McClatchy

In a study it calls “Ready, Willing and Unable to Serve,” the group [Mission] says Pentagon analysts have concluded that 75 percent of people ages 17 to 24 could not qualify for military service because they are obese or have some other health problem, lack a high school diploma or have a serious criminal history.

Military finds 75 percent of today’s youth can’t serve | McClatchy.

 – STAFF WRITER

RALEIGH — The biggest long-term threat to U.S. national security might not be terrorists or weapons of mass destruction. According to a group of military leaders, it’s homegrown obesity, ignorance and criminality, which together make seven of 10 target-age recruits ineligible to serve in the American armed forces.

“It’s not just disturbing. It’s a call to action,” James A. Kelly, former deputy assistant secretary of defense, said Thursday during a telephone news conference from Washington. Continue reading “Military finds 75 percent of today’s youth can’t serve | McClatchy”