Waste of the Day: Pentagon Spent Big on GLP-1s

Topline: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was not kidding when he complained that there are too many “fat troops” in the military. The military has spent nearly $726 million buying Ozempic and other GLP-1 weight loss drugs since 2021, including $274.6 million in fiscal year 2025, according to spending records obtained by Open the Books. 

GLP-1 weight loss drugs for the troops

Key facts: The spending includes 102,597 separate purchases, all from the Defense Logistics Agency for “troop support.” Almost all of the money went to the wholesale drug company Cencora.

More than a dozen brands of GLP-1 drugs were purchased, including Wegovy, Mounjaro and Trulicity.

As of 2023, 68% of active soldiers were overweight or obese, according to the American Security Project.

As of 2024, obesity-related health care for active and former service members and their families costs $1.5 billion per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Active soldiers also miss 658,000 days of work per year because of obesity-related health issues, costing the military $103 million.

The CDC also argues that obesity is “impacting national security” by making recruitment more difficult. Two-thirds of Americans aged 17 to 24 are too heavy to join the military.

While it makes sense to buy GLP-1s for soldiers with diabetes or serious health issues, there may be other solutions for troops who simply need to shed a few pounds. Nutrition counseling and weight loss classes are not automatically provided to all troops. And the meals served in military dining halls are often so unappetizing that troops go to fast food restaurants instead.

There is also the possibility that GLP-1s will cause health issues later in life. Expert opinions vary, but some studies have linked the drugs to thyroid cancer and lower bone density. The government will be responsible for those healthcare costs if necessary.

No other agency spent as much

There is no record of any agency besides the DOW spending more than a trivial amount on weight loss drugs.

Search all federal, state and local salaries and vendor spending with the world’s largest government spending database at OpenTheBooks.com.

Summary: Troops should of course have access to the medicine they need, but the military budget may need to go on a diet when weight loss drug spending $726 million.

The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com.

This article was originally published by RealClearInvestigations and made available via RealClearWire.