Free tickets to soldiers for Trump’s UFC event, but only if they are thin enough

“Ticket recipients must meet the DOW standard for waist-to-height ratio of less than 0.55, as well as all service-specific physical fitness testing requirements,” says one of the memos sent to service members, using the Pentagon’s preferred acronym for the agency.

The Cleveland Clinic lists the average height of American men and women as 175 centimeters and 163 centimeters, respectively. At those heights, troops should have a waist of up to 37 inches (94 cm) for the average man and a waist of 35 inches (89 cm) for the average woman.

There will be no “fat troops” or “fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon,” Hegseth said in a speech at Quantico Naval Base, Virginia, in October.

The Pentagon declined to comment on the guidelines regarding the UFC event.

Another defense official familiar with the approval process said senior Pentagon leaders have indicated their preference for DoD attendees to “look good” on camera at the event. “Actually not fat soldiers,” the person said.

The guidelines also direct commanders to only hand out tickets to “true UFC fans” and focus on selecting junior enlisted and junior officers, according to the memos reviewed by CNN.

And while Pentagon guidelines recommend military leaders recruit participants who live outside the nation’s capital, it notes that service members will have to pay their own way even if the tickets are free.

The Pentagon has tightly orchestrated the optics of Trump’s appearances with American troops, including during his previous visit to Fort. Bragg, where soldiers were selected for public viewing based on political affiliations and physical appearance. The troops ultimately chosen to stand behind Trump and visible to the cameras were almost exclusively men.

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