Junk Food Considered A National Security Issue

Apparently, obesity is going from the realm of social issues to national security; according to a group of retired military leaders that make up Mission: Readiness, kids these days just aren't as cut as they used to be. In fact, they're "too fat to fight."

According to the report (titled "Too Fat to Fight"), about 25 percent of American adults would be disqualified from military service because they are overweight. Of course, the military is blaming junk food for this crisis: "The military is bringing healthier foods to its schools, dining facilities, and vending machines, but it cannot win this fight alone. The civilian sector needs to do its part," the report says.

The report claims that today, school children are eating 400 billion calories more than necessary a year, all from junk food in vending machines, snack bars, and cafeterias (that's some 2 billion candy bars).

Even scarier numbers are in the books: According to the report, 73 percent of males older than 20 are overweight according to BMI numbers. The military spends "more than $1 billion a year" on weight-related disease treatments, and overweight recruits were 47 percent more likely to expereince musculoskeletal injuries. Not good, folks.

"The folks that are going to enter the military in 2025 are in school right now. So it's up to us to ensure that when those children reach the age of between 17 and 24 that they are ready or eligible to join the military," Retired Air Force Lieutenant General Norman Seip told Reuters.