By Virginia Kruta | The Daily Wire
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth promised an overhaul of military physical fitness standards — and accountability to ensure that those standards are met — in an X post on Friday, declaring that on his watch, service members would be “FIT, not FAT!”
Hegseth was responding to a Military Times report published Thursday revealing that the overwhelming majority — more than two-thirds — of reserve troops did not meet the prescribed weight standards.
“Completely unacceptable. This is what happens when standards are IGNORED — and this is what we are changing. REAL fitness & weight standards are here. We will be FIT, not FAT,” Hegseth declared in an X post, noting that part of the problem was the fact that even the existing standards were not being enforced.
Completely unacceptable.
This is what happens when standards are IGNORED — and this is what we are changing. REAL fitness & weight standards are here.
We will be FIT, not FAT. pic.twitter.com/KWMlFbS1c8
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) April 25, 2025
Citing a new study released earlier this week by the American Security Project (ASP), The Military Times reported that an estimated 68% of National Guard and reserve troops would be classified as either overweight or obese. The problem was slightly more pronounced among National Guard members, where some 21% of all personnel are estimated to be obese.
The ASP noted in the study that a large percentage of Active Duty service members are also considered to be overweight or obese. But because National Guard and reserve service members serve and train on a part time basis, enforcing physical fitness standards can be a much more complicated issue than when dealing with those serving in an active duty capacity — but the risks, in addition to the impacts on military readiness, remain high.
“These service members experience heightened risk for a wide variety of serious health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and osteoarthritis, which may lead to life-threatening health events such as stroke and heart failure,” the ASP report stated.
Hegseth has stated repeatedly that his main goal is to restore the United States military’s reputation as the most lethal fighting force on the planet, and as such, he plans to overhaul and enforce fitness standards that will bring about that end.
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