Twelve Percent Of Active-Duty Service Members Are Obese.

According to a report called Mission: Readiness released by a group of 450 retired generals and admirals “about 12 percent of active-duty service members were obese based on height and weight, a number that has risen 61 percent since 2002.” According to the report, the “extra weight cost military about $1.5 billion annually” in healthcare and other expenses. Admiral Casey W. Coane, a member of Mission: Readiness, said that the problem has gone “unreported” and is impacting nation’s “ability to defend.” The group is advocating for the Obama Administration’s bill for healthy meal plans for schools, which was first passed in 2012. Admiral Coane believes that the bill can help address the issue of obesity.http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/18/us/poor-fitness-in-military-poses-peril-report-says.html?ref=health