The authors contend that the declining health and well-being of American children is a common root of problems often addressed separately—military readiness, workforce shortages, rising health care costs, and diminished economic competitiveness. They argue these issues are interconnected because childhood health shapes future population health, productivity, and national resilience.
The article cites a 2020 Department of Defense brief indicating that roughly 77% of young Americans do not qualify for military service because of health concerns. The authors link that trend to broader declines in childhood health rather than solely to military policy.
A recent study published in JAMA documented a substantial deterioration in U.S. children's health between 2007 and 2023. That analysis found U.S. children were 1.8 times more likely to die than children in other industrialized countries and estimated that four in 10 American children will enter adulthood affected by obesity, chronic illness, anxiety, depression, or other conditions that limit opportunities and shorten lives.
The piece observes that for the first time, three military branches did not meet recruitment goals in fiscal year 2023. The authors note that subsequent recruitment improvements have been linked to increased pay, pre-boot camp programs, and loosening of some requirements, but emphasize that the underlying determinants of eligibility are shaped during childhood and adolescence.
Children’s physical and mental health influence school performance, which in turn affects labor-force participation and long-term productivity. The authors connect preventable childhood conditions—such as obesity, untreated mental health issues, and the sequelae of food insecurity—to future workforce shortages, higher health care spending, and lost economic potential. They underscore that a healthy, capable workforce is foundational to national prosperity and global competitiveness.
The authors recall that in the 1960s military leaders found nearly one-third of young men were unfit for service due to problems rooted in childhood poverty, inadequate health care, and limited educational opportunities. The national response included investments in training programs, anti-poverty measures, and strengthening Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit for children. The article presents this as a precedent showing that targeted investments in children can produce population-level improvements relevant to national strength.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report titled “Launching Lifelong Health,” which two of the article’s authors co-chaired, is highlighted as offering practical steps to improve children’s health and long-term outcomes. The authors summarize the report’s recommended areas for action: ensuring access to health care, supporting nutrition and healthy development, investing in research on child health, strengthening early childhood programs, and reducing economic hardships that impair child health from birth onward.
According to the authors, the emphasized solutions are neither radical nor untested. Building on past experience, they say, policymakers should prioritize measures that address the social and health determinants of child well-being. Specific categories of action identified in the source include expanding access to pediatric health care, bolstering nutrition and early-development supports, investing in evidence-generating research, and addressing the economic conditions that hinder healthy childhoods.
The authors close by arguing that healthier children become healthier adults who are more likely to complete education, participate productively in the workforce, serve their communities, and contribute to economic growth. They assert that national security and economic competitiveness do not begin at military institutions but in childhood. Investing in children, they say, is a direct path to strengthening the country’s future readiness and resilience.
(Authors: Tina L. Cheng, James M. Perrin, and Stanley McChrystal; article originally published Sept. 29, 2026. Details and cited studies are reported in the source.)