Obesity among troops costs Pentagon more than $1 billion per year, new study finds

American troops are too fat, and it is costing the Pentagon more than $1 billion of taxpayer funding each year, a study of obesity among active-duty service members published Wednesday found. Obesity was the leading cause for disqualification among hopeful military recruit applicants, and the top driver of separations among active-duty troops in 2023, according to the new American Security Project study. The Washington-based think tank that studies modern national security issues found the Pentagon spent some $1.25 billion last year treating military patients for dozens of diseases related to obesity, and another $99 million in lost productivity among hospitalized overweight troops.

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