According to the "Daily Star" on January 26, an authoritative weight expert said that if World War III breaks out, most Britons will be too fat to fight Russia.
Health officials say it will be difficult for the country to form any credible civilian army if conscription is introduced. They said that with obesity levels in the UK at an all-time high, the military needed to "significantly lower the bar" and put obese people on the front lines.
Tam Frye, president of the UK's National Obesity Forum, said our bulging waistlines and poor fitness levels could keep most Britons from fighting for their country.
"Over the past 20 years, the Army has found it increasingly difficult to recruit new recruits who meet physical requirements," he said. In wartime, two-thirds of the country's population was overweight, and it was unlikely that the required soldiers would be recruited without drastically lowering the standards of conscription. It's scary. ”
This week, Army Commander Gen. Patrick Sanders warned that we need a "citizen army" to counter the growing threat from Russia. But the latest data shows that the UK is one of the most obese countries in Europe, with more than a quarter of people suffering from obesity and 38% being overweight.
The military is also facing a battle for obesity, with nearly 40,000 of the 145,000 soldiers overweight or obese. Prior to General Sanders' comments, NATO military commander Admiral Rob Bauer also said that if the conflict in Europe accelerated, a large number of civilians would have to be recalled.
But British war hero Ben McBean, a veteran of the Royal Marines, slammed the call for conscription. Ben, who lost an arm and leg in Afghanistan, said that if the British were called up to fight, they would be dragged "kick and scream."
"It's not the same now as it used to be, people are not so patriotic," he said. That mentality is gone, and it's hard to get it back. You've got to kick and scream people in to get them to enlist. ”
His comments were supported by a poll that showed that only 10 percent were willing to take on a combat role.
The survey, which was conducted on 2,000 people, found that only 27% would "undoubtedly" join the war if the country were to suffer an attack similar to that of Ukraine.
But less than a third of them are willing to sign up for front-line combat.
（来源：Daily Star）