New rule allows sailors to retake physical fitness tests if they failed for exceeding body fat limits as service becomes ‘more realistic’

The US navy is giving another chance to thousands of sailors who otherwise would be kicked out for repeatedly failing physical fitness tests because they exceeded body fat limits.

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The service loosened its body fat restrictions in January and is allowing those who failed their exams three or more times one more opportunity to be tested this spring under the more lenient guidelines. The navy said it has been losing too many talented sailors.

The changes are the latest by the military looking to improve recruitment and retention as it builds up its cyber-warfare strategy.

A 2014 Pentagon study found that roughly two-thirds of Americans would not qualify for the armed services as a result of health problems, obesity and the failure to complete a high-school education.

The US navy secretary, Ray Mabus, said the service was not lowering standards but rather adjusting to reality: people today, in general, are bigger but not necessarily fat. “It’s far more realistic,” Mabus said of the new body-fat standard. “We were kicking more people out for failing that than for drugs.”

The number of sailors booted from the navy annually because they did not meet physical standards more than doubled from 694 in 2011 to 1,536 in 2014.