The equivalent of two infantry battalions of soldiers were medically discharged from the Armed Forces with severe weight problems in the last year, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Figures revealed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) show that 941 troops medically discharged between January 2023 and March 2024 were described as being at ‘severe risk’ of suffering from ill health from being so overweight.
Of those up to 690 were classed as being obese at the time of their discharge. The government figures also show that the heaviest members of the Armed Forces to be discharged in the last 12 months weighed over 26 st.
One former defence chief last night said: ‘Soldiers in this condition cannot fight.’
The equivalent of two infantry battalions of soldiers were medically discharged from the Armed Forces with severe weight problems in the last year (stock photo)
More are being medically discharged for weight problems than are being sacked for taking drugs (stock photo)
The latest MoD figures revealed in a Freedom of Information request also reveal that over the same period 236 troops were diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, the form of the disease linked to lifestyle.
The figures mean that more are being medically discharged for weight problems than are being sacked for taking drugs.
The Armed Forces have run numerous campaigns to help improve troops’ fitness levels and hundreds of personnel have been prescribed diet pills or undergone medical procedures, such as liposuction.
Colonel Richard Kemp, a former commander of British troops in Afghanistan, blamed a ‘failure of leadership’.
He said: ‘Every soldier and member of the Armed Forces must be ready to fight. This is especially important as we now have such a small army.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘No personnel have been medically discharged due to obesity alone and this Government is committed to maintaining the already high standards that we demand of our personnel.’
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