Reduce fast food on base to shrink oversized force, leader says

As the military grapples with a growing number of overweight soldiers in its ranks, removing fast-food restaurants from bases could help reduce obesity rates in the armed forces, according to the U.S. military’s highest-ranking officer.

The comments by Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Troy E Black, the senior enlisted advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, came in an interview on the MOPs and MOEs podcast late last month.

“If you want to reduce obesity, serve different types of food in the cafeteria,” Black said. “Immediately remove all fast food restaurants from all establishments.”

Black spoke about the overall value of treating American soldiers as assets, just as the military maintains tanks and planes. In particular, he focused on their physical and mental health.

A spokesman for Black declined further comment this week.

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Although he did not make a formal policy proposal for such a ban, Black said the idea of ​​eliminating sources of unhealthy food was an example of what the Pentagon could do relatively easily to improve health without the need for more money or more research.

Because of contracts with the Department of Defense, dining halls have stricter standards regarding the quality of the food they serve, Black explained.

But when fast food is available, troops often avoid these options, and nutrition becomes a race to the bottom.

“Unfortunately, it can’t compete with a cheeseburger,” Black said.

Nearly 70 percent of military personnel are either overweight or obese, according to a report released in October by the American Security Project.

The study highlighted data from the Department of Defense showing that obesity rates, which are calculated based on a person’s age, height and weight, have more than doubled in the past decade, from 10% to around 21%. At the same time, more than half of all young Americans are now considered obese, and at the time the report was released, obesity was the top exclusion criterion when hiring potential applicants.

Black pointed out that in America too, the pool of recruitable candidates has shrunk due to these widespread health problems.

“Currently, only about 24 percent of the American population meets the physical fitness requirements to enter military service – obesity is the biggest reason for ineligibility,” he said. “We have a societal problem.”