Most potential Army reservists are addicted to prescription drugs, are overweight, have mental health problems, or too many tattoos that prohibit them from joining the military, recruiters say.
Seven out of 10 applicants fail to meet Army Reserve standards on “mental, moral, and physical reasons,” said Capt. Eric Connor, U.S. Army Reserve Command spokesman, the
Washington Times reports.
According to the Army Recruiting Command, 71 percent of young people wanting to join the military would fail to pass service tests because of their shortcomings.
These problems are worsening even as the Defense Department is planning to add thousands of members to every branch of the service.
Military budget documents show that the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps are being asked in fiscal year 2016 to recruit 2,000 to 9,500 more active-duty personnel.
Lt. Gen. David Barno, with American University’s School of International Service, said recruiters face a more challenging environment in the coming years because of the improving U.S. economy and because of the end of major military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
© 2025 NewsmaxHealth. All rights reserved.