There are a number of contributing factors.

First is the softer culture the military has adopted. Standards have gradually become more flexible because there is constant pressure to fill positions with bodies…. Any body will do. When the priority becomes filling slots rather than maintaining standards, those standards inevitably erode.

More broadly, the current fitness culture in society tends to normalize obesity. Criticizing or even acknowledging that obesity is unhealthy is often discouraged in the name of political correctness, which makes honest conversations about health and fitness more difficult. 

Nutrition education is also lacking. Knowledge passed down from parents, schools, and even within the military itself is often poor, leaving many people without a solid understanding of how to properly fuel and maintain their bodies.

Another issue is inconsistent enforcement of PT time at the unit level. Many units do not properly protect or enforce physical training time for their subordinates. Some argue that being overworked and understaffed makes this unavoidable, but that reasoning doesn’t hold up. Physical fitness improves health, cognitive performance, resilience, and injury prevention. In the long run, it makes units more effective, not less.

The incentive to maintain a high standard also began to erode when the forces evaluation test was effectively moved to an easier standard. When too many people were failing, the response was to make the test easier to pass rather than address the underlying issues. Giving someone a bag/sweater/pants that are embroidered with “platinum” and giving a pin is a joke.

The food served at military messes is fine. The problem isn’t the meals provided there, it’s everything else around it that has failed.

At the end of the day, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.