U.S. Army General Whines: Americans Too Fat Or Uninterested To Serve In Military

The Army’s recruiting troubles stem from Americans not being fit to serve or simply not interested in service, the Army’s I Corps commander Lt. Gen. Xavier Brunson said, his comments running contrary to what the Secretary of the Army and the Army Chief of Staff bragged about, Nicholas Slayton reported for Task & Purpose magazine.

Photo Insert: The challenges facing the US Army are declining interest, poor messaging on career and benefits from service, and potential recruits not quite physically or intellectually qualified.

Brunson made the comments in an interview with The Spokesman Review in Washington State, where Brunson is also head of Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Brunson discussed how to reach younger Americans via “influencers” such as teachers and better messaging about Army benefits. He was also blunt in his criticisms of military-age Americans.

“Only 23% of the people that are of age to serve are actually qualified,” Brunson told The Spokesman Review.

“This is now a condition. This is not an Army problem, so nationally what we have to look at is what’s going on with our youth.”

Brunson’s comments run counter to what Army Secretary Christine Wormuth and Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville wrote in a July memo, which stated the service has been unable to win the “war for talent” and find ways to make the Army more attractive to young Americans.

Although that memo pointed to some of the same challenges — declining interest, poor messaging on career and benefits from service, and potential recruits not quite physically or intellectually qualified for the Army — Wormuth and McConville said the responsibility is first and foremost with the Army.

“This is not a recruiter problem. This is an Army problem,” the memo said. However, Brunson said the issues are wider than with the Army.

"Some of the challenges we have are obesity, we have pre-existing medical conditions, we have behavioral health problems, we have criminality, people with felonies, and we have drug use," he said. "This is not an Army problem, this is an American problem."

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