We have seen and heard the warnings about tobacco, "Cigarette smoking is hazardous to your health."

So it should be no surprise that a study by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies came up with numerous reasons why smoking should be banned in the military. Smoking rates in the military remain higher than among civilians.

Among the findings in the report to the Defense Department's Committee on Smoking Cessation in Military and Veteran Populations were:

• Smokers are less likely to fulfill their enlistment commitment than non-smokers.
• Their regular vision and night vision are poorer.
• Smokers don't perform as well on fitness test.
• They miss more work.

Of particular importance in combat situations, smokers bleed more after surgery, heal more slowly and have higher infection risks, the study said.

Then there are the financial costs to the government: for example, $5 billion to treat smoking-related emphysema in veterans last year.

These findings strongly argue in favor of curtailing smoking.

But the Pentagon was right to say it would butt out when it comes to smoking in combat zones, despite the recommendation that should be included in an overall phasing out of smoking in the military.

A combat zone is neither the time nor the place to go through the stress of kicking the habit - no matter how harmful that habit might be in the long run.

Frankly, military personnel in combat zones face a lot more immediate risks to their health than the risks associated with smoking.

But, in the long term, more members of the military are likely to die of smoking-related causes than from combat. Therefore, the more the military can do to discourage smoking, the better it will be for all concerned - especially the smokers.

Phasing in many of the recommendations of the committee - short of banning smoking in combat zones - is a good idea.

The military should review its practice of providing discounted tobacco products at on-base stores. It should continue to offer programs to help people quit smoking.

The committee's proposal to ban smoking in military academies, officer candidate schools and Reserve Officer Training Corps programs would be a good way to lead by example. Smoking is already banned during basic training in all four branches of the military.

We might add that the commander in chief has acknowledged his own challenges in trying to quit smoking.