US President Donald Trump's plans to increase the country's military potential may be thwarted because of reduced numbers of Americans eligible for military service, according to the Politico edition.
The newspaper reports statistics according to which nearly three quarters of 17 to 24 year old US citizens can not serve in the military because of obesity and other health problems, as well as due to criminal past or lack of academic background.
"We all have the image of a US citizen ready for anything," said Tom Spoehr, the lieutenant general of the US Army in reserve.
According to him, over the past 10 or 15 years, the percentage of Americans who suffer from obesity "skyrocketed." Moreover, the number of asthmatics increases, the percentage of young people with a school education is at a minimum, and the crime situation does not improve.
Politico notes that the new US military budget establishes an increase in the number of US military personnel by 56,000 by 2023. But the Pentagon barely guarantees the conscription of the current number of recruits.
According to Spoehr, in 2009 the US military attempted to attract more recruits by lowering the tender criteria for military service. This led to hiring people with a criminal background, who often did not observe discipline.
The Pentagon will have to increase funding compared to what is expected to attract more young people to military service, notes Politico.
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