Category: Security

In an unprecedented move that mirrors a broader national trend, Arkansas has ordered a Chinese-owned subsidiary to relinquish ownership of 160 acres of agricultural land, marking the first enforcement action under a flurry of new state laws designed to curb foreign control over domestic farmland.

The ruling in Arkansas underscores the ongoing debate surrounding foreign land ownership and its implications for national security and economic interests.

According to The Associated Press, Attorney General Tim Griffin declared that Northrup King Seed Co., a subsidiary of China’s Syngenta Seeds, which is under the ownership umbrella of the state-owned China National Chemical Company (ChemChina), has been given a two-year window to divest its Craighead County property.

The legislation, championed by the Republican-majority Legislature and endorsed by GOP Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, is a testament to Arkansas’s commitment to its local constituents.

“We will make sure that every company operating in Arkansas is a friend to Arkansas and good to hard-working Arkansans,” Sanders emphasized during a press briefing.

“Seeds are technology,” the Arkansas governor added. “Chinese state-owned corporations filter that technology back to their homeland, stealing American research and telling our enemies how to target American farms.”

Syngenta, however, expressed its discontent to The Associated Press regarding the state’s resolution, stressing that since acquiring the land in 1988, no directives to purchase, lease, or engage in land transactions had come from its Chinese parent company.

“Our people in Arkansas are Americans led by Americans who care deeply about serving Arkansas farmers,” the company stated. “This action hurts Arkansas farmers more than anyone else.”

READ MORE: Video: Sen. Fetterman attacks China for buying farmland in US

Before this year, only 14 states had imposed restrictions on foreign ownership of private farmland, a number that has now surged to 24 states, according to The National Agriculture Law Center at the University of Arkansas.

Micah Brown, a staff attorney at the center, noted many of the laws on investments from foreign nations are focused on countries such as China, Iran, North Korea and Russia.

“Historically, states that had a law before this year, there wasn’t much enforcement,” Brown said.

According to Brown, the recent uptick in legislative actions restricting foreign land ownership has been attributed, in part, to high-profile incidents involving Chinese-affiliated purchases near U.S. military bases, along with concerns arising from a suspected Chinese spy balloon traversing U.S. airspace earlier this year.

In addition to the divestiture order, Arkansas slapped Syngenta with a $280,000 fine for neglecting to report its foreign ownership, a mandate established by a state law passed in 2021.

Although Griffin displayed confidence in Syngenta’s compliance with both the divestiture and the fine, he refrained from detailing any direct interactions with the company, according to The Associated Press.

This news article was partially created with the assistance of artificial intelligence and edited and fact-checked by a human editor.

Lara Parker, who starred as the intelligent and conniving witch Angelique Bouchard in ABC’s gothic TV soap opera “Dark Shadows,” died Thursday at her home in L.A. She was 84.

Parker’s “Dark Shadows” co-star Kathryn Leigh Scott shared the news in a Facebook post.

“I have sad news … my beautiful, beloved friend Lara Parker passed away Thursday, Oct. 12,” Scott wrote. “I’m heartbroken, as all of us are who knew and loved her. She graced our lives with her beauty and talent, and we are all richer for having had her in our lives.”

She added, “Family meant more than anything to Lara, and they have wanted these few days since her passing to themselves. Rest in peace, my cherished friend.”

The actor died of cancer, per Deadline.

Parker portrayed the powerful antagonist on “Dark Shadows” opposite the vampire Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) from 1967 to 1971. The duo were locked in a love/hate relationship throughout the series, with an emphasis on hate, as Parker’s character often made the lovelorn vampire’s life a living hell.

More than 40 years after the show’s cancellation, Parker reprised the role of Angelique in Tim Burton’s 2012 movie adaptation of “Dark Shadows,” which starred Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Michelle Pfeiffer and Chloë Grace Moretz.

Aside from her work on “Dark Shadows,” Parker appeared alongside Robert De Niro in Brian De Palma’s 1970 film, “Hi, Mom!” She also starred as a compassionate sex worker in the 1973 Oscar-winning film “Save the Tiger,” starring Jack Lemmon.

Beginning in the late 1990s, Parker wrote four “Dark Shadows”-themed novels. Her first book, “Dark Shadows: Angelique’s Descent,” was released in 1998, with sequels in 2006 and 2013. Her final book, “Heiress of Collinwood,” was published in 2014.

Parker was born Mary Lamar Rickey in Knoxville, Tenn., on Oct. 27, 1938. She began her higher education at Vassar College before transferring to Rhodes College to finish up her bachelor’s degree. Parker also earned a master’s degree from the University of Iowa.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

©2023 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Celebrity bodyguards, including Oded Krashinsky and an unnamed Taylor Swift bodyguard, have returned to their native country of Israel to join the fight against Hamas terrorists.

According to The New York Post, Oded Krashinsky, a veteran lieutenant in an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) secret service special operations unit and the head of Los Angeles-based Advanced Security Concepts, has taken a proactive role in training IDF soldiers and kibbutz members in Northern Israel.

Previously, Krashinsky provided security services for celebrities like Nicole Kidman. Speaking to The New York Post, he stated, “I came here to help my unit. The morale is tense. The main threat is invasion — we have to deflect it, fight it, and protect against it.”

The IDF veteran stressed the importance of his home country, saying, “I am who I am because I came from here. At the end of the day, it’s about experience, decision-making, tactics, and leadership — that’s what I felt I could bring, and that’s what I do now.”

Krashinsky, who spent over three decades in the United States as a security consultant, emphasized the challenge and commitment required in his current role. “We’re putting protocol and procedures in place for safety and shelter. There’s a lot of strategic decision,” he remarked. “We are well prepared right now. Everyone understands that they have to give their all.”

Taylor Swift’s bodyguard also recently flew back to Israel. He told Eran Swisa of Israel Hayom news that he “couldn’t stand by while families were slaughtered and burned alive in their homes.”

READ MORE: Marine rapid response force moving to coast of Israel

In a statement to Variety, Swift’s bodyguard further mentioned that he previously lived in an Israeli kibbutz. While he described his time working for Swift as his “dream job,” he indicated that he could not remain on the sidelines as Israeli civilians were being killed “just for being Jewish or for being Israelis.”

Historically, the Hollywood security bodyguard community has seen many Israeli combat veterans join its ranks, according to The New York Post.

Aaron Cohen, an Israeli special operations vet and bodyguard to stars like Kim Kardashian, Britney Spears, and Katy Perry, told The New York Post about the rich legacy of IDF veterans serving as bodyguards, highlighting figures like Elizabeth Taylor’s late bodyguard Moshe Alon.

Cohen observed, “There’s a lot of them going back [to Israel to fight]. These guys are very deeply connected.”

Krashinsky told The New York Post that his celebrity clients, such as Kidman, have reached out to him, wishing him safety as he faces the devastating conflict in the Middle East.

Krashinsky explained, “Some clients are like my family — I’ve worked with them for 15 more years. They call, and they text.”

This news article was partially created with the assistance of artificial intelligence and edited and fact-checked by a human editor.

Natalie only had a few hours to say goodbye to her 22-year-old son David last Saturday — the day of the deadly Hamas attacks in Israel — after he decided to return to Israel to re-enlist in the Israel Defense Forces.

David — a dual citizen who grew up in Aventura, moved to Israel after graduating from high school and served in the military through last summer — decided just moments after he heard the news.

“He held my hands and he said, ‘Mom, I know you’re gonna start crying now. And you’re not gonna stop for a while.’ He knows me well,” said Natalie, who asked the Herald not to use their last name out of security concerns. “And he goes, ‘But I made a decision. I’m going to Israel.’”

David spent the next few hours planning his route and packing a bag. Less than 24 hours after the Hamas attacks, Natalie was driving her son from their Hollywood home to Miami International Airport so he could go to war.

“He did not really prepare himself and we didn’t have time to process … knowing that this was not going to be just a military operation, that it is a real war.”

David is one of many who have returned to Israel to fight in a war that has killed thousands of civilians, an undetermined number of Hamas fighters and more than 200 Israeli soldiers. More than 100 Israeli reservists and volunteers in Florida are estimated to have traveled to Israel to join the military, according to the Consulate General of Israel to Florida & Puerto Rico in Miami.

Israel, with some exceptions, requires every Israeli citizen over the age of 18 to serve in the military for two to three years. After that, most of them can be called up to reserve units until age 40 or older in times of national emergency, Reuters reported.

Israeli Defense Forces has activated over 300,000 reservists — one of the country’s largest military mobilizations in history, according to news reports.

“Many Floridians, Israeli-Americans, that have served in the military and are now reservists have gone to Israel to volunteer in the IDF,” Consul General Maor Elbaz-Starinsky told the Herald. “They are fighting to get plane tickets to go to Israel because they are committed and dedicated for the safety and security of Israel.”

Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack killed more than 1,400 people in Israel, including babies and children, according to the country’s military. At least 155 people, including children, the elderly and some Americans, are being held hostage by Hamas, designated as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union.

In Gaza, 2,808 people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, as reported by the New York Times. To date, 289 Israeli soldiers died during the Hamas attacks and thereafter, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

With Israel sealing its Gaza border, Palestinians have been cut off from water, electricity, fuel and food. Egypt, too, has closed its border with Gaza in the south, blocking an escape route for thousands trapped in Gaza.

‘Proud of him’

As someone with several family members, including her parents and sister, living in Israel, Natalie is “shattered in pieces” about her son’s decision.

“There’s a knot in my stomach, a hole in my heart. But at the same time, I’m also very proud of him,” Natalie said. “I’m very proud of his choice to join the army in general, which he didn’t have to, but also now not to hesitate and go to protect our country. And the lives of others too.”

David spent most of his life in Aventura, but grew up traveling to Israel almost every summer. At 18, after graduating from Scheck Hillel Community School in North Miami Beach, he decided to join the Israel Defense Forces and immigrate to Israel, a pilgrimage known in Hebrew as “Aliyah.”

After finishing his military service as an Israeli citizen, David stayed in the army to become part of an elite combat unit, which requires more training and a longer commitment — called “Keva” in Hebrew. His service ended last summer.

“He’s not obligated to do it, but chose to do it. He said, ‘My brothers are gonna go fight; I’m not gonna sit at home,’ Natalie said, recalling the conversation with her son. “They’re all very close, and they have each other’s back.”

Support group for soldiers’ families

After David left for Israel, Natalie became so consumed with following the news about the war that she had difficulty resuming her daily life. She joined a support group for parents of soldiers who live in South Florida and saw a psychologist who specializes in crisis management.

“It’s difficult for everyone — and in my community, everyone has someone that we know — I am trying my best to take care of my mental health, but I don’t know if I’m being successful.”

Despite taking some time off initially, Natalie has found some comfort at her job at Scheck Hillel. As the director of after-school enrichment and student engagement, Natalie works with children.

“When they come and smile and give you a hug, even though your heart is broken, for one second, you need to put on the smile and get the hug,” Natalie said about the young children. “Actually, it helps a lot.”

“We all should pray for peace and for the war to stop,” said Natalie “And for our soldiers to be brave and protect the rest of the people.”

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© 2023 Miami Herald

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville Monday said he’s received more than a dozen death threats during his time in the Senate, with four people receiving jail time.

Tuberville appeared Monday as a guest on “The Kimberly Guilfoyle Show,” streaming on Rumble. In an eight-minute interview, Tuberville commented on several subjects, in addition to throwing his support behind Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan in the House speaker’s race, calling Jordan a “fighter.”

Here’s a few of the subjects the interview touched on:

Michael Hayden controversy: Tuberville called former CIA Director Michael Hayden “a total loser” a week after he reported Hayden’s suggestion that he be removed from the “human race” to Capitol Police, claiming the remark called for his assassination.

“What a jerk this guy is,” Tuberville said. “Not that I’m anything special, but I am a United States Senator. I’ve had more than a dozen death threats since I’ve been here- four of them are in jail, by the way.”

Hayden said last week that he didn’t literally mean “removed” from the human race and is surprised anyone thought he did.

“As dangerous as this job is, in this day and time, this guy has no business saying anything about anybody because he is a total loser from day one,” Tuberville said.

Military promotions hold: Tuberville said he “didn’t really want to do” his ongoing hold in the Senate on more than 300 promotions in protest to the Pentagon’s abortion policy. However, he said he is “not backing down” on the blockade until a vote is held on the policy change.

Tuberville began the block after the Pentagon announced it would allow troops and dependents to take time off and use official travel to get to other states for reproductive care not available locally. Tuberville says the policy should have a vote on the Senate floor.

“They are now playing dictator from the White House,” Tuberville said. “It’s communism from the White House and the Pentagon. They just totally changed the policy – ‘This is the way we’re going to do it. We don’t care what you say. We’re not going to give the people of Alabama or any other state the opportunity to vote on this in the Senate.’”

Later in the interview, Tuberville seemed to suggest he might lift the hold if Congress took action on the U.S.’s southern border.

“These Democrats will come up to me and go, ‘You need to drop your hold on all these generals and admirals.’ And I’ll go, ‘You close that border down there, and I’ll think about it.’”

Israel-Hamas conflict: Tuberville said the ongoing fight between Israel and Hamas is a “disaster of what’s going on, and it’s all caused by Joe Biden.”

He based the allegation on a deal between Washington and Tehran that led to the release of five imprisoned Americans from Iran last month, and on oil prices, which he said emboldened Iran, and has “enhanced all these terrorists.”

He said Biden sending two carrier strike groups to the region will “get us in a world war.”

“We’ve got an empty White House,” Tuberville said. “When President Trump left the White House, if we would have just left it empty, we would have been so much better, just in our country with the border, inflation, fossil fuels.”

Guilfoyle introduced the former Auburn coach as “the greatest coach of all time,” drawing a response on the social media platform X from Chris England, Alabama House Dist. 70 representative from Tuscaloosa.

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© 2023 Advance Local Media LLC

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Pro-Palestine protesters stormed and occupied the Cannon House Office Building rotunda on Capitol Hill Wednesday afternoon, video of the demonstration shows. The group held a sit-in with signs demanding Congress officially call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“There’s an insurrection happening now on Capitol Hill,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) posted on X – formerly Twitter – along with video of the scene.

The demand for a “ceasefire” in Gaza comes after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, killing 1,300 people – mainly civilians – and wounding thousands more. Israel formally declared war against Hamas shortly after the deadly terrorist attacks.

While Israeli officials have repeatedly urged civilians in Gaza to leave, Hamas is known for using civilians as human shields and started broadcasting messages in the Gaza Strip telling residents to stay, Reuters reported.

According to a NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence report, Hamas has been using human shields in conflicts with Israel since at least 2007.

“The strategic logic of human shields has two components. It is based on an awareness of Israel’s desire to minimise collateral damage, and of Western public opinion’s sensitivity towards civilian casualties,” the report continues. “If the IDF uses lethal force and causes an increase in civilian casualties, Hamas can utilise that as a lawfare tool: it can accuse Israel of committing war crimes, which could result in the imposition of a wide array of sanctions,” the report states.

Jewish Voice for Peace, a group that describes itself as “Jews organizing toward Palestinian liberation and Judaism beyond Zionism,” also posted video of the demonstration, writing on X, “HAPPENING NOW: Hundreds of American Jews are holding a sit-in at Congress — and we won’t leave until Congress calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. As thousands of U.S. Jews protest outside, over 350 are inside, including two dozen rabbis, holding prayerful resistance.”

HAPPENING NOW: Hundreds of American Jews are holding a sit-in at Congress — and we won’t leave until Congress calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. As thousands of U.S. Jews protest outside, over 350 are inside, including two dozen rabbis, holding prayerful resistance. pic.twitter.com/H0b2ort6fa

— Jewish Voice for Peace (@jvplive) October 18, 2023

This was a breaking news story. The details were periodically updated as more information became available.

Multiple news outlets immediately blamed Israel for an explosion at a hospital in Gaza that reportedly claimed the lives of 471 people Tuesday; however, intelligence reports indicate that Israel was not responsible for the strike on the civilian hospital.

U.S. officials have indicated that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group is responsible for Tuesday’s explosion at a hospital in Gaza, according to The Wall Street Journal.

“Our current assessment, based on analysis of overhead imagery, intercepts and open source information, is that Israel is not responsible for the explosion at the hospital in Gaza,” White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson stated.

After reports surfaced that news outlets wrongly attributed blame to Israel over Tuesday’s Gaza hospital tragedy, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) posted a statement on Instagram alongside screenshots of the headlines news outlets had originally used to blame Israel for the air strike.

“These are all the news outlets that just assumed Israel would bomb a civilian hospital. Israel did not do that. Hamas rockets misfired. Even Palestinian and Arab news outlets reported it,” Crenshaw stated. “And Biden needs to confirm and also confirm unwavering support for Israel’s defense. It must be clear that Hezbollah and Iran will suffer severe consequences if they begin a multi-front attack.”

Crenshaw shared screenshots of headlines and posts such as “Hundreds feared dead of injured in Israeli air strike on hospital in Gaza, Palestinian officials say,” from BBC News; “Palestinian health ministry says 200 to 300 people may have been killed in Israeli strike on hospital in Gaza,” from CNN; “Breaking News: An Israeli airstrike hit a Gaza hospital on Tuesday, killing at least 200 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, which said the number of casualties was expected to rise,” from The New York Times.

Other news outlets that immediately blamed Israel for Tuesday’s strike included The Associated Press, which claimed at least 500 people were killed in an explosion “caused by an Israeli airstrike,” and Reuters, which claimed an Israeli airstrike had “killed hundreds of Palestinians at a Gaza City hospital crammed with patients and displaced people.”

After media outlets across the world blamed Israel for an air strike on a hospital in Gaza, Israel Defense Forces, shared a post on X with photos of several news articles that wrongly blamed Israel for Tuesday’s tragedy.

“Media outlets around the globe were quick to run Hamas’ headlines-without fact checking,” Israel Defense Forces wrote. “We now know that an Islamic Jihad rocket aimed at Israel misfired and hit the hospital in Gaza.”

Media outlets around the globe were quick to run Hamas’ headlines—without fact checking.

We now know that an Islamic Jihad rocket aimed at Israel misfired and hit the hospital in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/DzJgsbxS4i

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 17, 2023

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden addressed Tuesday’s incident alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion of the hospital in Gaza yesterday, and based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you,” Biden said. “But there’s a lot of people out there not sure, so we’ve got a lot, we’ve got to overcome a lot of things.”

READ MORE: Video: Israel kills Hamas Intelligence Chief in missile strike, IDF says

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesperson, released a statement in a video on social media, confirming Israel’s innocence in the devastating explosion that claimed innocent lives at a hospital in Gaza.

“I can confirm that an analysis of the IDF operational systems indicates that a barrage of rockets was fired by terrorists in Gaza, passing in close proximity to the Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital in Gaza at the time it was hit,” he said. “Intelligence from few sources that we have in our hands indicates that the Islamic Jihad is responsible for the failed rocket launch, which hit the hospital in Gaza. I repeat, this is the responsibility of Islamic Jihad that killed innocents in the hospital in Gaza.”

Saudi Arabia’s defense minister Prince Khalid bin Salman received a call from his UK counterpart Grant Shapps on Monday.

During the call, the two ministers reviewed strategic relations and defense cooperation, Prince Khalid posted on X, formerly Twitter.

“We also discussed the situation in Gaza and I stressed the need to de-escalate, cease military operations, and uphold international law to protect innocent lives,” Prince Khalid added.

Prince Khalid later received Italian defense minister Guido Crosetto.

The pair reviewed Saudi-Italian relations and explored opportunities to enhance defense cooperation.

“We also discussed recent developments in Gaza, and I emphasized the importance of de-escalating the situation,” Prince Khalid added.

In a different meeting, Prince Khalid and Turkmen counterpart Begench Gundogdyyev discussed recent events in Gaza and the importance of protecting innocent civilian lives.

On Monday, more than one million people had fled their homes in Gaza as Israel bombarded the Hamas-ruled territory and continued massing troops in preparation for a full-blown ground invasion.

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(c) 2023 the Arab News

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday that his administration will soon start housing migrant families with children in a “semi-congregate” facility in Brooklyn — a move that appears at odds with city and state shelter rules.

Under the city’s decades-old right-to-shelter mandate, children should not be housed in congregate, barrack-style settings. The prohibition is based on state rules stipulating that homeless kids should only be housed in family-style shelters with separate rooms that allow for privacy, a restriction advocates say protects minors from sexual abuse and other dangers.

Despite those regulations, Adams’ office said in a statement Monday afternoon that his administration will start placing migrant families with kids in a “semi-congregate” shelter it’s building at Floyd Bennett Field, a defunct U.S. military airstrip near Jamaica Bay in southern Brooklyn. The site, once up and running in a few weeks, is expected to have capacity for about 500 asylum-seeking families with kids, according to City Hall’s statement. The statement also said that “privacy dividers with locks will be installed” to separate households from each other.

Adams also announced that his administration will start limiting city shelter stays for migrant families with kids to 60 consecutive days, confirming an exclusive Daily News report from Friday revealing that a new rule was imminent. According to Adams’ office, families with kids will be provided with “intensified casework services” during those 60 days with an aim of helping them move out of the city’s care and find their own housing.

The 60-day restriction, which took effect Monday, builds on a similar policy that limits consecutive shelter stays for single adult migrants to 30 days.

If a single adult migrant can’t secure their own housing in that time, they can return to the city’s Roosevelt Hotel asylum seeker arrival center to reapply for shelter. An Adams spokesman said the same reapplication process will be available to families with kids.

The new restrictions related to kids come as the Adams administration continues to house more than 64,100 migrants in city shelters and emergency housing facilities, according to City Hall data. They also come as lawyers for the mayor continue to argue in court that the administration should get permission to suspend right to shelter, which requires the city to provide shelter to anyone who requests it.

The Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless, which are fighting the administration’s push to roll back right to shelter in court, said the Floyd Bennett Field plan “raises serious legal questions” and hinted they may take legal action to block it.

“Private rooms, not open cubicles, are needed to ensure the safety of families with children and to reduce the transmission of infectious disease, among other obvious reasons,” the groups said in a joint statement. “We are still waiting for specifics, but, should this plan contradict the Boston consent decree (which guarantees the legal right to shelter for homeless families with minor children) or relevant laws, we will have no choice but to seek an immediate injunction from the court.”

Of the new 60-day rule for migrant families with kids, Legal Aid and the Coalition slammed it as being “devoid of any humanity.”

“This new policy … will disrupt access to education, which has provided much needed stability for our newest neighbors, and also cause chaos for school administrators,” their statement said. “We are also concerned about access to medical care and other vital services.”

Adams spokesman Charles Lutvak said the right-to-shelter concerns are addressed by the “privacy dividers” the administration is setting up at the Floyd Bennett Field site.

The Adams administration has placed migrant children in congregate settings before.

This past May, The News reported that the administration was housing several migrant families with kids in an old NYPD training facility in apparent violation of the rules against sheltering kids in congregate settings.

At the time, Department of Social Services Commissioner Molly Wasow Park said the gym wasn’t supposed to be a long-term accommodation for anyone, but rather a place where migrants could stay while the city found space in shelters or hotels.

In a statement released Monday along with the press release on the Floyd Bennett Field plan, Adams said roughly 600 new migrants continue to come to the city every day on average and reiterated that his administration needs immediate help from the federal government to slow the pace of arrivals.

“With the current surge we’re seeing, a comprehensive, coordinated effort from the federal government to decompress the pressure New York City is under is needed now,” the mayor said.

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© 2023 New York Daily News

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

A new report shows that almost 70% of U.S. military troops are overweight or obese, prompting long-term concerns about national security and military readiness.

According to a new study conducted by the American Security Project, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, 68% of active duty troops in the U.S. military are considered overweight or obese based on the body mass index method of classification determined by a person’s weight and height.

Based on the findings of the study, the American Security Project warned that obesity threatens to cause challenges in “recruitment, readiness, and retention” for the U.S. military.

“Rapid and sustained recurrence of obesity across all services, ranks, and positions now poses a dire threat, especially for at-risk populations and those in critical combat roles,” the report stated. “Designing an effective strategy to monitor and tackle obesity within the U.S. military begins by treating it like any other chronic disease.”

The American Security Project explained that the Department of Defense will need to “significantly improve” research and reporting of service members’ weight in order to “effectively tackle” the current “obesity crisis.” The nonprofit organization suggested that the military can begin by implementing health policies based on evidence rather than “military appearance regulations.”

READ MORE: 25% of U.S. soldiers became obese during Covid, study finds

The American Security Project noted that obesity is one of the main causes of disqualification for military applicants, leads to injuries for active service members, and can result in medical discharges. The study showed that the number of “obese” troops has increased from 10.4% to 21.6% over the past decade.

According to Stars and Stripes, the Pentagon recently indicated that less than 25% of Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 are academically and physically qualified for service in the military, resulting in a recruiting shortage.

The American Security Project explained, “Obesity poses a complex challenge to recruitment, readiness, and retention within the U.S. armed forces.”

Recommendations by the American Security Project to address the issue of obesity include reviewing regulations pertaining to body composition, removing Defense Department policies that give military commanders the ability to exempt obese troops from medical interventions, conducting additional obesity reports, and referring obese service members to physicians for proper treatment.

“By adequately screening for obesity, military services can develop proactive measures to address obesity,” the report stated. “Early screenings for obesity and related health conditions, such as prediabetes and high cholesterol, are associated with sustained weight loss, better health outcomes and a lower cost burden on healthcare systems.”

The American Security Project’s recent report also noted that the “social stigma” often associated with people struggling with obesity and other weight issues needs to be addressed.

“Obesity is a chronic disease, not a lapse in personal discipline,” the report said. “Despite this reality, the enduring stigma against overweight soldiers continues to result in punitive measures in lieu of medical treatment.”

Moving forward, The American Security Project emphasized the importance of the military “decisively and cohesively” addressing the issue of obesity by consistently upholding “strong body composition standards” and by updating health policies with “evidence-based recommendations.”

The American Security Project added, “Identifying, diagnosing, and treating obesity within soldiers at the front lines of our national defense may ultimately determine the long-term survival of the force. It may not be easy, but it is long overdue.”