Too Fat for Combat
October 7, 2005
According to a report in the daily Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, more and more potential Bundeswehr recruits aren't making the grade because they are overweight.
The number of applicants who fail the required fitness test to enter the Bundeswehr has risen steadily in the past years, and is now at roughly 40 percent, a spokesperson from the German Defense Ministry confirmed on Thursday.
The development has been most pronounced among secondary school students: In 1999, 7.6 percent were able to make it into the top fitness category, while now, only 4.6 percent qualify.
Medical experts in Germany point to the fact that obesity has overtaken smoking as the number one cause of death in the United States, and warn they expect a similar shift in Germany.
To fight the trend, the German government has started a nationwide campaign aimed at getting children to eat healthier foods and exercise more regularly.
Ironically, for many overweight recruits, life in the Bundeswehr would probably be just what the doctor ordered. But if army life is really what they want, they'll first have to fight the battle of the bulge.