By the Numbers: 8 September 2025
100,000
The number of service members who "received involuntary separations between 2018 and 2022 for weight-related reasons," according to an article in Stars and Stripes -- Air Force recruit disqualified from service over weight-loss surgery sues DOD for discrimination. The article notes that "The military spends approximately $1.24 billion annually to battle obesity within its own ranks..."
100,000
The number of service members who "received involuntary separations between 2018 and 2022 for weight-related reasons," according to an article in Stars and Stripes -- Air Force recruit disqualified from service over weight-loss surgery sues DOD for discrimination. The article notes that "The military spends approximately $1.24 billion annually to battle obesity within its own ranks..."