An often-cited statistic among those concerned about physical fitness in the United States is that 71 percent of Americans aged 17 to 24 are medically ineligible for military service.1 How significant is this fitness challenge for the Navy? Proper conditioning is such an anomaly in the current recruiting pool that today, if a new recruit reports to Great Lakes for boot camp and can pass the physical readiness test (PRT) at the standards associated with their age group (not score “outstanding” or “excellent”—simply pass), that recruit receives a $2,000 bonus.

No one questions the grit of this generation; They’ve known nothing but wartime their entire adult lives, but continue to raise their right hand. Instead, many observers blame this phenomenon on the rise of “super-size” fast-food culture, the popularity of video games creating a more sedentary lifestyle, and the removal of physical education (PE) requirements from schools. Today only six states adhere to the PE standards set by the National Association of Sports and Physical Education.2