Armed Forces Wellness Center health educator Benjamin Van Winckle teaches a stress management class at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, on July 24, 2026. (Alejandro Carrasquel/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — The Army’s new body composition policy is drawing renewed interest in the Armed Forces Wellness Center at the home of U.S. Forces Korea, where soldiers can receive nutrition, fitness and health coaching aimed at producing lasting changes rather than short-term weight loss
An Army directive issued July 7 replaced the service’s previous body fat assessment with a waist-to-height ratio screening and gave commanders greater flexibility in administering the Army Body Composition Program
The updated policy may provide more opportunities to connect soldiers with wellness educators who can help them meet the standard through sustainable changes, said Matthew Collins, director of the Armed Forces Wellness Center at Camp Humphreys
“Our whole objective is to take whatever your lifestyle is and slowly make the changes to go in the right direction so the stuff never comes back, so you can stay healthy,” he told Stars and Stripes at the center on July 24
Armed Forces Wellness Center Matthew Collins demonstrates metabolism study equipment at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, on July 24, 2026. (Alejandro Carrasquel/Stars and Stripes)
The center offers resting metabolic assessments, body composition testing, fitness evaluations and health education classes for eligible beneficiaries ages 18 and older, Jean Han, a spokeswoman for Brian D. Allgood Army Community Hospital, said at the hospital on July 24
It scheduled nearly 9,000 appointments last year but ended up reaching more than 9,100 people through clinical services and community outreach, according to hospital data
Collins said many service members remain unaware of the re
“A lot of these guys just don’t know,” he said. “That’s where I’m trying to put ourselves in there and say, ‘Please have us help guide them.’ ”
The program began as the Army Wellness Center in 2008 and became the Armed Forces Wellness Center in 2023 as military hospitals transitioned to the Defense Health Agency. The change reflected an expanded mission serving personnel from all military branches
The center also serves eligible dependents, civilian employees and contractors
Armed Forces Wellness Center health educator Benjamin Van Winckle teaches a stress management class at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, on July 24, 2026. (Alejandro Carrasquel/Stars and Stripes)
Han said beneficiaries may book appointments themselves, though Allgood hospital staff routinely direct patients to the center for weight and stress management and fitness education
Staff members may also identify health concerns that require additional care and coordinate referrals to physicians, dietitians or physical therapists, Collins said
“We help close that gap,” he said. “Not everything we do is going to need a physical therapist, your doctor or a dietitian.”
Collins said the center is intended as a rerneys, not just those struggling to meet body composition standards
“This isn’t just one road where somebody is stuck,” he said. “We’re here as a re
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Alejandro Carrasquel
Alejandro Carrasquel
Alejandro Carrasquel is a reporter and photographer at Osan Air Base, South Korea. He is a Defense Information School alumnus working toward a master’s degree in integrated communications from West Virginia University.
