With serious recruitment issues.....the Air Force stood up this past week and wrote a new rule....saying new recruits could have a "higher body fat percentage as men can join with up to 26 percent body fat, a 6 point increase, and women can join with 36 percent body fat, an 8 percent increase."
They believe with the rule....things will change, and a few hefty guys/gals....will be charmed.
For the majority of my years in the Air Force....the body fat thing didn't exist. Then one day....it arrived. In my unit at the time....out of 120-odd people....I'd say 25-percent had a problem in meeting the body-fat-related-to-age standard.
You could actually weigh ten to fifteen pounds under your max and fail the body-fat standard invented.
So you were continually under some stress situation....you had to monitor your weight and body fat.
Trying to relate the loss of eight pounds to one inch of body fat loss? It wasn't possible. I worked with some gal who'd lost sixteen pounds of weight, and failed to take off a single inch of body fat. Her reaction? She gave up....when the enlistment ended, she walked out.
In one office, we had a 24-year old guy who was the sports 'junkie' of the squadron....participating in 12 different sports. He jogged two miles every single morning prior to work. He was around ten pounds under his max, when the body-fat game arrived. Over the course of one-year....he was continually dragged in and threatened with disciplinary action over his body-fat numbers not improving. He was another case where the exit-door was used.
So I look at the current trap laid....if you allow in the people now....how quick will you change the rules and bring body-fat standards back to a harsh reality?
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