Army Strong?

Perhaps not. The Army has rolled out a new fitness program, according to the New York Times, which looks a lot more like yoga than like sit-ups and push-ups. This re-jiggering was done to accommodate overweight recruits.

Let me say that again: overweight recruits. In the Army. How do you feel about our national security now, knowing that recruits can't run 2 miles in 20 minutes?

In fairness, it does appear that some thought went into the redesign of the fitness standards. Soldiers were focusing too much on sit-ups and push-ups because that's what was tested, but it turns out that they weren't terribly practical skills once the soldiers arrived in Afghanistan. And the program does increase in difficulty as the weeks go by. And perhaps my favorite part: they've planned a change in the mess hall diet as well, which should improve overall health, rather than just physical fitness.

Even knowing that though, I still can't get over the big idea: "our recruits can't meet standards, so let's just change the standards." Sure, some of them will be in support positions, probably sitting at a computer all day (which is one thing that led to this problem in the first place), but that won't be the case for all soldiers. Which begs the question the CBS News report asked: "Can they defend us?"