WASHINGTON (WTVO) — The United States Air Force has lowered its body weight standards as it struggles to find new recruits.

According to the new standards, men can have a body weight of 26% fat, an increase from the former standard of 20%. Women can have a body weight of 26% fat, up from 28%.

In an interview with Fox News, Air Force recruiting spokeswoman Leslie Brown said, “The Air Force is looking to open the aperture on qualifying a broader pool of young Americans for service in the Air Force. These changes bring the Air Force in line with DOD policy. While recruits will be allowed to join with greater body fat percentages, they will still be expected to meet the same fitness standards as everyone else to stay in the service. That means meeting the waist-to-height ratio requirement the Air Force announced in January and implemented this month.” 

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said the Air Force is currently pacing to miss its active-duty recruiting goal by 10%, according to Military.com.

“We are recruiting today’s generation, not my generation who joined more than 30 years ago, where a tattoo may have been taboo but is now a societal norm,” Brown said. “[Our] youth now live a more sedentary lifestyle than before.” 

According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in every three young adults aged 17-24 is too obese to serve in the military.