Generals warn of obesity risk to US security

POTENTIAL recruits for the US military are increasingly too fat to serve, two retired generals have claimed.

John Shalikashvili and Hugh Shelton, both former chairs of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the nation's obesity epidemic was now threatening national security.

"Obesity rates threaten the overall health of America and the future strength of our military," they told the Washington Post. "We consider this problem so serious from a national security perspective that we have joined more than 130 other retired generals, admirals and senior military leaders in calling on Congress to pass new child nutrition legislation."

Obesity disqualified more potential recruits for military service than any other medical factor, the two former commanders said.

The generals want to see legislation that would ensure better nutrition in schools, offering children more vegetables, fruit and whole grains while cutting back on foods with high sugar, sodium and fat content.

The warning came amid growing concern that childhood obesity has turned into an "epidemic", affecting a staggering one in three American youngsters.

A study released in March warned that more American children are becoming extremely obese at a younger age, putting them at risk of suffering old-age illnesses in their 20s. The US military also faces a problem with troops already serving who are overweight, with some soldiers losing out on promotions because of failure to meet fitness standards.

The two retired generals endorsed a plan by president Barack Obama's administration to increase funding by $1 billion a year over ten years for child nutrition programmes.