Chalk up another national-security threat -- this one looming with each excess pound, failing grade and drug bust affecting young adults.
An alarming 75% of Americans ages 17 to 24 would not qualify for military service today because they are physically unfit, failed to finish high school or have criminal records. So says a new report from an organization of education and military leaders calling for immediate action on the early-education front.
While some experts voiced doubt that obesity and other societal ills would keep three out of four young adults out of the ranks, the report titled "Ready, Willing and Unable to Serve" was endorsed by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, former NATO commander Gen. Wesley Clark and top retired admirals and generals.
"The armed services are meeting recruitment targets in 2009, but those of us who have served in command roles are worried about the trends we see," retired Rear Adm. James Barnett said. "Our national security in the year 2030 is absolutely dependent on what's going on in kindergarten today."
'And don't come back'
Increasingly, applicants are disqualified for having asthma or for taking pills for depression or attention disorders. Nearly one-third of all young adults have health issues other than weight that could keep them from serving, according to the report of the group Mission: Readiness.
If you're the single parent of a dependent child without a support network, you're out.
If you're carrying too much debt, you're out. The military doesn't want recruits who will be hounded by creditors and lawsuits.
Some applicants without a high-school diploma can get a waiver to serve if they earn a GED or score high on the military's entrance exam. But such waivers are granted to fewer than 2% of applicants.
"What we allow waivers for, and for whom, is like an opening and closing gate depending on our needs. We can adjust our policies if we have to," said Douglas Smith of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command.
As a slumping economy increases interest in military service, more people with obvious deficiencies are contacting recruiters.
"We're no longer so much saying, 'Try back in 60, 90 days and see if you can qualify,' " Smith said. "It's more like 'We're sorry ... and don't come back.' "
Even after signing up, 7% to 15% of enlistees return home for not meeting all that basic training demands.
The trouble with obesity
Obesity alone disqualifies 27% of all young Americans from serving. About one in four in the 17-to-24 age group lacks a high school diploma.
Delaware, Florida, Georgia and Texas posted unusually high rates of obesity, juvenile crime and dropout rates.
"To say 75% of an entire age group would be ineligible to serve, that sounds too high," said John Pike of the defense think tank GlobalSecurity.org, echoing the initial reaction of other military watchers.
"But it wouldn't be off the mark in some communities," including low-income areas historically attracted to career and education opportunities offered by joining the volunteer fighting forces.
"When looking for officer candidates, they're trying to recruit the high school quarterback, not the slacker under the bleachers smoking a cigarette," Pike said. "Someone who dropped out of school and got supersized? You have a hard time seeing a soldier there."
Just to bring one airman into the military, Air Force recruiters report having to make contact with 110 people who show an interest in joining. Still, the Air Force has met monthly recruiting goals for 10 years running.
"With the shift in the economy, we're seeing a shift in the number of people trying to get in and a higher level of those who disqualify," said Christa D'Andrea, public affairs chief for the Air Force Recruiting Service.
www.michaelmoore.com - 16.11.09
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