U.S. Army Faces Growing Percentage Of Medically Unfit Soldiers

Army Maj. Gen. David L. Mann, right, commander of U.S. Army Recruiting Command, uses a cord to connect his hand with the hand of Army Capt. Ivan Castro, a blind runner, while they approach the finish line at the 2011 Army Ten-Miler in Washington, D.C., Oct. 9, 2011. Castro, who continues to serves in active duty despite losing his eyesight, is the only blind officer serving in the U. S. Army Special Forces. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Teddy Wade

Shrinking Army Faces Growing Percentage Of Medically Unfit Soldiers -- USA Today

As the Army faces a prospective drawdown, the Army surgeon general says a growing percentage of soldiers aren't medically fit for duty, the Army Times reports.

Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker said Monday at a conference in Washington that about 15% of the active forces aren't able to deploy for medical reasons.

He called that a growing problem that has "begun to erode the readiness of the Army as a whole."

Many of those involved, he said, are not those injured in combat.

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My Comment: What can change this is to (1) provide greater financial/benefit packages for people to join .... which is not going to happen in an era of budget cutting .... or reinstate (2) the draft .... which is politically explosive.