Oz army considers less healthy recruits

SHORT-SIGHTED? Fat? Asthmatic?... Your country needs you.

Australia’s military, which has a long tradition of providing some of the world’s premier fighting troops, is reconsidering its ban on recruits who are overweight, have poor eyesight or suffer asthma as it battles to maintain troop numbers.

Army, navy and air force chiefs want to accept more of the 10% of applicants who are rejected on health grounds, The Australian newspaper reported.

The standards review comes after the military this year fell 20% short of recruitment targets for the sixth consecutive year.

Assistant Defence Minister De-Anne Kelly confirmed the restrictions based on body-mass index, asthma and eyesight will be reviewed.

“You see many elite athletes who have asthma who are able to manage that condition, so it is appropriate that defence looks again at these standards,” Ms Kelly said. “Perhaps there are people who are just not quite fit enough and we might be able to assist them with fitness programmes or advice.”

But, she said such troops would not be deployed overseas unless they reached and maintained strict fitness standards.