To direct the Secretary of Defense to conduct a study relating to obesity in the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.

This bill focuses on tackling obesity in the U.S. military. It tells the Defense Health Agency to make obesity reports more frequent and easier to understand, so leaders and the public can see the problem clearly. It also requires the Department of Defense to study how obesity leads to injuries and medical discharges, how much those problems cost each year, and how to buy healthier food for troops. Another study looks at how easy it is for military families to get healthy foods. All of these studies must be reported to Congress within one year. The Department must also report how rising obesity among active-duty members affects national security readiness.

What this could mean for daily life: better tracking of health issues, more healthy food options on bases and in commissaries, and policies aimed at preventing injuries linked to obesity. Families may see efforts to improve access to affordable, healthy foods.

Key points

• Who is affected: Active-duty service members and their families.
• What changes: More transparent obesity reporting; studies on injuries, costs, food buying, and family access to healthy foods; a readiness impact report.
• When: Reports are due within one year after the law takes effect.