WASHINGTON -- Overweight Americans always have carried the burden of additional health risks.

But some experts say the nation's declining physical fitness could compromise the country's well-being in a much more collective regard: by undermining national defense.

"War ... will always be extremely physical," said Edward Thomas, a former instructor and doctrine writer at the Army's Physical Fitness School in Fort Benning, Ga. "Our nation's youth are becoming ever more inert, malformed and clumsy while the physical requirements for war are increasing. It's a recipe for disaster."

Thomas, now the health and physical education consultant for the Iowa Department of Education, fears that the nation's declining physical vitality will make America's armed forces more vulnerable to enemies who are better fit.

Everything from eliminated physical education programs to misguided P.E. curriculums contribute to the trend, Thomas said. Even the desks used in many classrooms may be adding to the physical devolution, he said.

Jeremy Levine, who trains Navy SEALS on the Naval Amphibious Base at Little Creek, Va., agreed.

The military's Special Forces remain in good shape, he said, but the number of recruits initially qualifying for those units is declining.

"What we're seeing is less and less emphasis on [quality] physical education and more and more emphasis on TV and video games," Levine said. "People entering the U.S. military right now as a whole get a C-minus for physical fitness, whereas 15 years ago I would have given them a solid B."

He's not certain obesity is a national-security issue. But, he added, there is a national de-emphasis on "physical readiness."

The most recent Department of Defense survey on the behavioral health of military personnel appears to support the claim.

That report, released in 2002, revealed that about 57 percent of active duty personnel were overweight in 2002 compared with 49 percent in 1995.

The figures were derived using soldiers' Body Mass Indexes, which are calculated by dividing weight (in pounds) by height (in inches) squared, then multiplying that number by 703.

"Overweight" is defined as anyone with a BMI of 25 or more. Someone 5 feet 8 inches tall weighing 165 pounds has a BMI of just over 25.

Robert Bray, a senior researcher at the Research Triangle Park-based Research Triangle Institute and project director of the 2002 Defense Department survey, said the figures could be misleading.

"I don't think it's such a crisis in the way some are saying," he said. "And I personally don't think it's affecting what we're seeing going on in the frontline battle situations."

Most personnel deemed overweight, Bray noted, had a BMI hovering around 25 -- the low end of the scale.

Also, Bray added, the survey revealed that the percentage of military personnel partaking in strenuous exercise has risen at the same time that weight has, suggesting that other factors aside from inactivity -- including genetics and basic nutrition -- could be involved.

"The assumption is that you're seeing an increase in overweight cases because we're a nation of couch potatoes," Bray said. "But the data suggests the problem is probably much more complex."

Other critics of the report noted that BMI calculations ignore the possibility that the weight is muscle mass rather than body fat.

For example, at 7 feet 1 inch tall and 330 pounds, basketball superstar Shaquille O'Neal has a BMI of 31.6. A BMI above 30 is deemed "obese."

But Americans are getting bigger.

About 64 percent of adults aged 20 and older are overweight or obese, according to the latest figures from the National Center for Health Statistics.

And kids are not immune. About 16 percent of children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 were deemed overweight in 2002 -- up from about 5 percent 30 years ago.

Some lawmakers agreed that the Defense Department report highlights a disturbing trend.

"Increased weight problems among military personnel are yet another example of the staggering impact that the obesity epidemic has on our nation," said Iowa Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin, who has sponsored a number of bills intended to battle rising obesity levels.

"It is clear that the obesity epidemic doesn't discriminate against anyone, and this report underscores the importance of developing a nationwide plan to combat poor nutrition and promote physical [activity]."

Others said an overweight nation is dangerous for another reason: the military's recent reliance on the National Guard and reservists -- who together make up about 40 percent of the forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bray conceded they have been "very much under-surveyed" regarding their health and physical readiness.

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