We ain’t half fat, Mum. Shock figures reveal 10th of armed forces are clinically obese
‘A danger to fitter troops serving alongside them’
ALMOST one in ten British troops are clinically obese, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Shocking figures expose the Ministry of Defence’s failure to tackle a crisis which military experts say could cost lives in combat.
Data supplied under Freedom of Information rules shows that in July, there were 8,662 obese soldiers in the Army, 4,666 in the Royal Navy and 4,274 in the Royal Air Force – the highest figures ever recorded.
The scale of the problem was graphically illustrated recently when obese troops were caught on camera at a motorway service station. One is believed to belong to the Army’s Scottish division.
Last night, Colonel Richard Kemp, former Army commander in Afghanistan, called on the MoD to sack soldiers who cannot stay in shape, even if it led to a reduction in numbers across the Armed Forces.
‘It is expensive and fraudulent, frankly, to retain troops in service who are this out of condition,’ he said. ‘They would be a danger to themselves in any sort of fighting situation and a danger to fitter troops serving alongside them.
‘It is embarrassing to see troops in such poor physical condition wearing the uniform.
‘They are only retained because of the manpower crisis which the Government has failed to solve.’ Obesity is measured using the Body Mass Index (BMI). A score of 30 or more signifies obesity which can lead to life-threatening illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and bowel cancer.
The July statistics reveal that 398 troops have type 2 diabetes and, in an effort to tackle the obesity crisis, 160 personnel have been prescribed diet pills and 16 given liposuction.
They also show that more than 30,000 of the Armed Forces’ total strength of about 190,000 members are considered overweight, according to the Body Composition Measure, which focuses on body-fat percentage rather than weight.
The claim that a blind eye is being given to obese troops is supported by figures showing that only about 20 soldiers have been sacked for being chronically overweight since 2012. Of these, two tipped the scales at more than 22st.
Commanding officers of infantry units have also introduced ‘fat clubs’ and hundreds of soldiers, sailors and airmen have been given Fitbit bracelets to help them to fight the flab.
The Mail on Sunday recently revealed that the Army is introducing a new fitness test that will be impossible to fail.
A leaked document showed the Soldier Conditioning Review, which will come into force in April, does not have pass or fail grades. Troops will be given a mark from one to ten and advised on how to improve their scores. It will replace the current Personal Fitness Assessment, which sets basic standards for a 1½-mile run, press-ups and sit-ups, according to troops’ age and gender.
An MoD spokesman said yesterday: ‘Our personnel are required to pass our challenging fitness tests, and those who do not pass are provided with diet and fitness support, in order to reach and maintain a healthy weight.’