ASP in the News: Coverage of ASP’s New White Paper on Obesity’s Impacts on Reserve Component Readiness
On April 24, ASP published a new white paper titled “Ready the Reserve: Obesity’s Impacts on National Guard and Reserve Readiness.” The report found that an estimated two-thirds of National Guard and reserve personnel are overweight or living with obesity, and these conditions are the primary disqualifiers of applicants to the reserve component. The text also underscored the role of obesity and its comorbidities in driving injury, lost duty time, and early separation, and identified key challenges with access to health insurance and evidence-based care.
Various news outlets have covered the new report and its findings, which also drew attention from senior leaders in the Pentagon. According to The Hill:
“Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sounded the alarm over the readiness of reserve troops after a study found that more than two-thirds of Guard and Reserve service members are overweight or obese. ‘Completely unacceptable…,’ Hegseth said in a Friday morning post on social platform X.”
According to Military Times:
“To address the problem, ASP leaders recommended further research and tracking of obesity rates in the reserve forces, as well as providing some level of medical insurance to all reserve troops to help address the health issues. They also noted that improvements in the military’s electronic health records should assist in monitoring those weight issues among reservists, even if they don’t report to command as frequently as their active-duty peers.”
The report offers several recommendations to address this readiness crisis and improve health outcomes for service members, including enhanced collection and reporting of reserve medical data and streamlined access to specialized care.
Read the full report here.
See more coverage below:
Military Times: More than two-thirds of reserve troops are overweight: Report
The Hill: Hegseth on reported overweight reserve troops: ‘Completely unacceptable’
Fox News: Hegseth vows crackdown on military obesity after shocking Reserve, Guard report
The Independent: Pete Hegseth says US troops ‘need to be fit, not fat’ as he attacks ‘completely unacceptable’ statistic
The Daily Mail: Pete Hegseth stunned as report reveals the staggering number of overweight troops: ‘Fit not fat’
The Washington Examiner: Hegseth criticizes overweight reserve troops: ‘Fit, not fat’
The Daily Wire: ‘FIT, Not FAT!’: Pete Hegseth Promises Standard Overhaul After ‘Unacceptable’ Troop Fitness Report
American Military News: 68% of US Reserve forces are ‘overweight,’ study finds
