Gen Z has similar if not better physical health profiles than past generations yet ridiculous medical standards prevent many from joining.

Solution: The entire health waiver process needs to be re-done, focusing only on if servicemembers are physically able to do their future job or not.

The military stands out from other sectors of society in that its work often has some physical component. While increasingly more jobs require little to no daily physical activity, each service branch still mandates a baseline level of health standards to complete its mission. One of the "big four" disqualifiers for potential Gen Z recruits is due to health considerations. Certain officials can use this as a cover when putting the blame back on the youth for not being up to recruitable standards. What is actually going on when people give these inflated numbers of "Americans unfit for service" is a classic example from the famous 1954 book by Darell Huff titled “How to Lie with Statistics.”[1] Generation Z is no more unhealthy than Boomers, Millennials, or the Greatest Generation that won WWII. Instead, our healthcare and digital record tracking improvements have wholly detached the military performance goals we aim for from the statistical ground truth that the data represents. Overall, Gen Z has similar, if not better, physical health profiles than past generations, yet ridiculous medical standards prevent many from joining. From the nonsensical disqualifiers like eczema and flat feet to the more severe like spinal curvature, these outdated rules need to be analyzed by new healthcare professionals. The entire health waiver process needs to be redone, focusing only on if service members are physically able to do their future job or not…

[1] Huff, Darrel, and Irving Geis. How to Lie with Statistics. New York: Norton, 1993.

Matthew Weiss is currently an Intelligence Officer in the United States Marine Corps. His book, “We Don’t Want You, Uncle Sam: Examining the Military Recruiting Crisis with Generation Z” is available on amazon in paperback, e-book, and audiobook format.