British military says soldiers are too fat, urges focus on fitness

LONDON - British soldiers are getting so fat it's putting livesat risk, according to a leaked memo from the army's physicaltraining corps published in a Sunday newspaper.

The Observer said an emergency memo sent to all units of theBritish army earlier this month warned that an increasing number ofsoldiers had become so fat they couldn't be deployed to conflictzones and urged commanders to focus on physical fitness.

The army "has not consistently maintained our standards ofphysical fitness" and needs to "reinvigorate a warrior ethos and aculture of being fit," the newspaper quoted the July 10 memo assaying.

The Ministry of Defense offered no direct comment on …