Warren Releases New Data Revealing RFK Jr.’s Fluoride Crusade Threatens Military Readiness

Warren Releases New Data Revealing RFK Jr.'s Fluoride Crusade Threatens Military Readiness

Pentagon data shows nearly 10% of service members cannot be deployed due to dental issues

Department of Health and Human Services did not consult with the military before announcing intention to direct CDC to stop recommending fluoridation of drinking water

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released new data from the Department of Defense (DoD) revealing the impact of dental emergencies on military readiness. The new data also makes clear that Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s reported plan to direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stop recommending water fluoridation may lead to a substantial rise in dental decay for service members and their families. Senator Warren first pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about this concern in May 2025.

The Pentagon's responses revealed:

• Dental emergencies account for 20-30 percent of all Disease Non-Battle Injuries among deployed service members;
• Dental issues leave nearly 10 percent of service members "not medically ready to deploy;"
• The military was not consulted by HHS or Secretary Kennedy on the plan to direct the CDC to stop recommending water fluoridation;
• Fluoridation has contributed to improved dental readiness across the military; and
• Removing fluoridation would likely lead to increased rates of dental decay.

"Our military is already falling short on delivering high quality dental care for our service members, and Secretary Kennedy's fluoride crusade is threatening to worsen this crisis and hurt our military's ability to deploy where they're needed," said Senator Warren. "Our government should be focused on improving dental health access for our service members, not pushing anti-science conspiracies. I'm going to continue holding Secretary Kennedy accountable for his disastrous policies."

In 2011, the Department of Defense found that "dental decay continues to be a major problem for military personnel and is a significant reason for personnel to be classified as non-deployable." President Trump's Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness recently told Senator Warren that, "dental health issues are often the largest cause of non-deployability within a military unit." Until now, the extent of the burden of dental issues on military readiness was not known.

In response to the Pentagon's findings, Air Force Chief of Staff General Kenneth Wilsbach said, "[B]enefits of optimally fluoridated drinking water have been proven repeatedly…The Air Force Surgeon General supports maintaining fluoridated water systems in accordance with the 2013 DoW policy and the AF dental community strongly advocates to continue the policy of optimally fluoridated water on DoW installations."

Senator Warren has led work to improve servicemembers' access to health care:

• In May 2025, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass), ranking member of the Personnel subcommittee for the Senate Armed Services Committee, pressed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on the harmful impact that Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy's work to remove fluoride from drinking water would have on our military readiness.
• In December 2024, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to Acting Under Secretary Vazirani raising continued concerns about the Department of Defense's (DoD) failure to prevent price gouging and overpayments in the military's TRICARE health program.
• In June 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), U.S. Representative Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), and 20 other lawmakers sent a letter to Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. Lester Martinez-Lopez and Director of the Defense Health Agency (DHA) Lieutenant General Telita Crosland, raising concerns over Express Scripts' exclusive contract to administer TRICARE's pharmacy program, the healthcare system for the military, retirees, and their families.
• In July 2023, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren chaired a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel. She called out the Department of Defense (DoD) for wasting billions in taxpayers dollars due to price gouging by defense contractors for services and in health care, and identified opportunities for cost savings when DoD buys personnel-related goods and services.
• In July 2023, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Director of the Defense Health Agency (DHA), Lieutenant General Telita Crosland, regarding a series of DoD Inspector General (IG) reports finding that the Department of Defense (DoD) is failing to prevent price gouging and overpayments to contractors in the TRICARE health program.
• On March 2, 2022, Senator Warren and her colleagues called out drug manufacturers for squeezing American families with rapid and widespread price hikes on prescription drugs.
• In February 2022, at a hearing, Senator Warren called out corporations for abusing their market power to raise consumer prices and boost profits.
• In May 2020, Senator Warren wrote to the Department requesting clarification on how the Department would prevent profiteering following a recent change to increase payments to contractors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In March 2020, Senator Warren joined her colleagues in urging the FTC to use its full authority to prevent abusive price gouging on consumer health products during the COVID-19 pandemic.

###