More than three-quarters of the nation’s 17- to 24-year-olds couldn't serve in the military, even if they wanted to. They're too fat, too sickly, too dumb, have too many kids, or have copped to using illegal drugs.

The armed services are willing to grant waivers for some of those conditions - asthma, or a little bit of weed. But the military's biggest concern is how big and how weak its potential recruits have become.

"The major component of this is obesity," Curt Gilroy, the Pentagon’s director of accessions, tells* Army Times'* William McMichael. "Kids are just not able to do push-ups... And they can’t do pull-ups. And they can’t run.”

23 percent of 18- to 34-year-old are now obese, up from just six percent in 1987.

The group of potential enlistees is further slimmed by the “propensity to serve” among American youths, which social scientists say also is declining. According to Gilroy, research shows that about 12 percent of all U.S. military-eligible youth show an interest in military service.

The military just had a big recruiting year. But as the economy improves, and the war in Afghanistan drags on, it's going to be tough to rely on such a tiny sliver of America's youth to maintain an all-volunteer force. Either the recruiting standards have to change – maybe the military's new Cyber Command doesn't need guys who can do a bunch of pull-ups. Or the recruits themselves have to.

[Photo: Wikimedia]