Enforcing the Army Weight Control Program: Peace versus War

Abstract

Should the Army have different standards for weight control in peacetime and during times of war? The obvious answer is, no. However, that is exactly what we have in the Army today. The expeditionary nature of the transforming Army, and the war on terrorism in particular, has caused serious retention and recruiting problems. The Army has temporarily changed retention policies for overweight Soldiers in an effort to shore up poor retention and recruiting numbers. On one hand, it is a way for the Army to abate the loss of fully trained Soldiers. On the other hand, what good is a standard if it only changes when it is no longer convenient? The Army is saying that a physically unfit Soldier is unqualified for service during peacetime, but is somehow qualified during wartime. It is obvious to anyone that the physical demands on a Soldier during combat operations are greater than they experience during most peacetime operations.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 16, 2005
Accession Number
AD1138062

Entities

People

  • Gary R. Smith

Organizations

  • United States Army Sergeants Major Academy

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Combat Operations
  • National Guard
  • Overweight
  • Peacetime
  • Physical Fitness
  • Recruiting
  • Reenlistment
  • Regulations
  • Standards
  • Terrorism
  • Warfare

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