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The Pentagon last week released a memo directing the U.S. military to start using a waist-to-height ratio to evaluate the body fat of troops.
The method will divide the measurement of a service member’s waist circumference by their height to estimate body fat, replacing traditional height-and-weight tables.
To pass, a service member’s waist measurement can be only slightly more than half of their height, according to a Dec.18 memo from Under Secretary of War for Personnel and Readiness Anthony J. Tata.
The new body fat standards are between 18% and 26% for men and between 26% and 36% for women, Tata wrote.
Personnel who surpass these thresholds will be enrolled in the military’s remedial program, it stated, adding that failure to meet the standards “may result in the withholding of favorable personnel actions, including promotions.”
Continued violations, meanwhile, could lead to administrative measures, such as separation from the military, the document stated.
Under the new rules, all service members will be evaluated twice a year.
The memo framed body composition as a “vital component for the warrior ethos and foundational to lethality and readiness.”
Service members who perform well on fitness tests yet fail to meet body composition requirements “may be granted allowances,” but only within limits set by their service.
High performance, the memo stated, “does not excuse non-compliance with body composition standards.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who previewed the shift to a waist-to-height measurement system in September, said the change is intended to “promote consistency and fairness across the joint forces.”
—By John Goheen
