"...roughly two-thirds of Americans would not qualify to enlist in the armed services as a result of health problems, obesity and the failure to complete a high school education."

Military's move toward women in combat signals a major paradigm shift

"The U.S. is faced with a new reality as it slowly loses its powerful edge in the realm of military technology as other nations catch up. To continue competing on the global stage, the U.S. needs to be able to recruit from the brightest and smartest of its people.

Last year, a Pentagon study highlighted that roughly two-thirds of Americans would not qualify to enlist in the armed services as a result of health problems, obesity and the failure to complete a high school education. On top of that, the armed services face retention and recruitment challenges stemming from the long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and competition with a rebounding economy that attracts veterans into the civilian job market. A gender-neutral military opens up the recruiting pool."