This year's target has been set to 80,000 recruits, up from 68,000 the year before, and the edict comes at a low point for recruitment enthusiasm. Low unemployment rates have made the Army less appealing for young people, as have more than 15 years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq. To make matters worse, a rise in obesity rates means that only some of the young people who are interested in enlisting in the armed forces can even qualify.