Official Air Force Service Mark

The US military is having problems getting recruits as American youth have various problems:

Astonishing 77% of American youth unqualified as military recruits
April 3, 2023 at 6:44 pm
A whopping 77 percent of American youth in the optimal military recruitment age of 17 to 24 years old are disqualified due to being too fat, abusing drugs and/or alcohol, or for being in poor medical health, according to a resurfaced Defense Department study. …

The numbers represent a 6 percent increase in “disqualified” youth from the previous QMA assessment of data ending in 1997, which found that a whopping 71 percent of recruitment-aged youth were disqualified. …

The proportion of youth eligible for military service without a waiver is 23%. This is a decrease from previous estimates (29%).Most eligible youth are disqualified for multiple reasons (44%).The largest increases in disqualification estimates observed between 2013 and 2020 were for mental health and overweight conditions.When considering youth disqualified for one reason alone, the most prevalent disqualification rates are overweight (11%), drug [and alcohol] abuse (8%), and medical/physical health (7%).The proportion of youth who are Qualified Military Available (QMA), defined as both eligible and not currently enrolled in college, is 12%. …
The military’s recruitment crisis has been building over the last several years. Back in October 2018, Military.com ran a story under the headline: “One-Third of Youths Too Obese for Military Service, Study Finds.”
The military news site quoted retired Army Lt. Gen Samuel Ebbesen recalling his time as an assistant to a World War II and Korean War veteran, a Master Sgt. Bell.
“Fat people don’t make good soldiers. …They get injured more often. They take longer to heal when they get hurt. And they lack stamina, which is critical when you fight in a war. A weak link in the chain, and they get themselves or others hurt or killed!” Ebbeseon quoted his old boss as saying. https://www.wnd.com/2023/04/astonishing-77-american-youth-unqualified-military-recruits-study/

The WND article also says that woke policies are also affecting recruitment:

A further problem is that the Biden administration’s emphasis on “woke” policies in the military, such as supporting homosexual and “transgender” agendas, is alienating potential recruits within the smaller pool of those still qualified to serve. …
In February, CBN News compared a U.S. military recruitment video featuring a corporal talking proudly about her lesbian moms, including a cartoon depiction of their same-sex “wedding,” to a Chinese People’s Liberation Army recruitment video showing PLA tanks, helicopter gunships and jets blowing up targets.
After showing the cartoonish video, the CBN host said, “Folks, is this the military’s calling? Animated recruitment videos promoting lesbianism and same-sex ‘marriage’?”

So, the solution?

Well, the US Air Force has decided to change its standards to let fatter people come in:

Fatter recruits now welcome as Air Force revises its rules
The Air Force has loosened its restrictions on body fat for new recruits, one of the latest moves to grow the pool of potential applicants amid the military’s recruiting crisis.
In the past, men and women’s bodies needed to be 20% or 28% fat, respectively, to be eligible for service. That benchmark is now 26% for men and 36% for women, Air Force Recruiting Service spokesperson Leslie Brown said …
Officials changed the body fat standard based on the recommendation of a team, led by Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin, that was formed to look at recruiting challenges. They anticipate that 50 to 100 more people could join the Air Force each month as a result, Brown said. https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2023/04/03/fatter-recruits-now-welcome-as-air-force-revises-its-rules/

The Bible opposes obesity–but the US military has decided to try to live with it.

Let me add that once people are in the USAF, many get fatter. And although the USAF has an ongoing fitness requirement, it is very easy to meet and does not result in a fit force.

So, yes, military recruits–at least in the USAF–can become more obese and remain in the military.

Here is what Moses and Jeremiah were inspired to write about obesity thousands of years ago:

15 You grew fat, you grew thick,
You are obese!
Then he forsook God who made him,
And scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
16 They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods;
With abominations they provoked Him to anger. (Deuteronomy 32:15-16)
11 “Because you were glad, because you rejoiced,
You destroyers of My heritage,
Because you have grown fat like a heifer threshing grain,
And you bellow like bulls,
12 Your mother shall be deeply ashamed;
She who bore you shall be ashamed.
Behold, the least of the nations shall be a wilderness,
A dry land and a desert. (Jeremiah 50:11-12)

The idea that one should not be obese is not a new one.

Furthermore, the Bible warns about gluttony as well as eating things that are not really food:

20 Do not mix with winebibbers, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat; 21 For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty (Proverbs 23:20-21)
2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good (Isaiah 55:2).

Do not overeat. Avoiding artificial sweeteners, chemical additives, excess refined sugar, and some other items commonly associated with junk foods would seem to be consistent with the warning to eat what is good.

Many people do not often eat what is good. Many eat too many chemically-laced, highly-processed foods. Many eat a lot of white bread, which is really not real bread as it has had the wheat germ and other natural components removed. This makes an inferior product which then is sprayed with synthetic B vitamins and other “nutrients” to “fortify” it. If you notice “B vitamins” added to “fortify” refined grain products or in so-called “natural” vitamin supplements (like thiamin mononitrate, thiamin HCL, folic acid, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine hydrochloride, cyanocobalamin), realize that these are basically petroleum derivatives and are not the same form of vitamins that are actually found in real, natural, food.

But most in westernized areas consume the synthetics, chemicals, and refined grains.

People should try to eat real, not artificial, foods. Soda consumption should be almost non-existent, essentially a very rare treat. People should not drink sodas every day.

And while they do not like to believe this, almost all obese people also need to eat less.

Losing weight can be very, very difficult. But real Christians should believe the following:

13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

With prayer and proper determination, breaking away from being obese can happen.

The Biden-Harris Administration is pushing wokeness over military readiness. Last year, the Army reduced its size, partially because of missing recruitment goals (see US Army pushes wokeness, cannot get enough acceptable recruits, cuts size, and punishes anti-vaccine troops).

Reducing the size of its military, reducing standards, and increased fat and woke recruits makes the USA a weaker target.

That being said, the US is prophesied to lose militarily in the relatively near future (cf. Daniel 11:39).

Policy issues, health issues, and ignoring biblical prophecies will end up being factors for the coming defeat of the USA.

Identifying the USA and its Destruction in Prophecy

Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?

Who is the King of the West?

The Bible, the USA, and the King of the West

Who is the King of the North?

The King of the North is Alive: What to Look Out For

The Future King of the North

Obesity, processed foods, and the Bible

Eating Right, Eating Too Much, and Prophecy