The Ministry of National Defense is to refer obese members of the military for weight counseling after an internal report showed that thousands of soldiers are overweight, it said on Friday.
The Chinese-language United Daily News cited the ministry’s Medical Affairs Bureau as saying in a report that more than 10,000 service members had a body mass index (BMI) higher than 30.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, a BMI of 18.5 to 24 is ideal for Taiwanese adults, while a BMI of 30 to 34.9 indicates moderate obesity.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
Deputy Minister of National Defense Wang Shin-lung (王信龍) told legislators that the armed forces are handling the issue through a multitude of training programs and that not all people with high BMIs are unfit.
He made the comment during a joint session of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee and the Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee, which was convened to deliberate amendments to the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces.
Service members are subject to annual checkups, and the military intervenes when issues are discovered, Wang said.
The United Daily News said that Chief of the General Staff General Chen Pao-yu (陳寶餘) had considered sacking all personnel who failed to meet physical standards, but Wang said that report was not based on facts.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) said that the prevalence of troops with high BMIs in the armed forces does not bode well for the nation’s military preparedness.
The military should emphasize practicality and tactical relevance in physical training programs to boost soldier fitness, he added.
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