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US Army to introduce new fitness test: Here's what events are being changed
Army revamps fitness test – Rebranding, ditching events, and setting new gender-neutral standards – starting June
The Army, in an internal memo, said that it will make changes to its fitness test, including rebranding the test, eliminating its most criticized event, and introducing new performance standards for soldiers. The fitness test will be called the ‘Army Fitness Test’ (AFT) instead of the former ‘Army Combat Fitness Test.’ As per the Army’s memo, obtained by Military.com, the Army Reserve, National Guard, and all the soldiers across active duty will begin taking the AFT in June.
What is being changed?
The service has also removed the Standing Power Throw, in which soldiers had to hurl a 10-pound medicine ball backwards over their heads. This evaluation tests the soldier’s technique over strength or endurance. The ongoing Army Combat Fitness Test allows a maximum score of 600 points. By removing the Standing Power Throw, the maximum overall score may be reduced to 500.
What does the federal cabinet say about this?
In a post on his X handle, Pete Hegseth, the U.S. Secretary of Defence said “We need to have the same standard, male or female, in our combat roles. Soon, we’ll have nothing but the highest and equal standards for men and women in combat.” Gender-neutral standards for fitness have been a policy priority for Hegseth, as he has also directed a review of fitness standards across all of the defence services.
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What was wrong with ACFT?
The former ACFT, launched in 2022 after about a decade of development, was a role-specific assessment with events that were tailor-made for different military occupational specialities (MOS) across the Army. That role-specific plan was rejected later due to several logistical complexities.
The new AFT has been seen as having a very low benchmark to pass – for instance, men are only required to run 2 miles in 22 minutes and perform 10 hand-release push-ups. On the other hand, scoring high requires soldiers to have elite levels of athleticism, as not just the strength will be tested, but also the technique used.
Service members in combat roles who have suffered injuries and are unable to complete the entire test will be required to score a minimum of 70 points on each event of the test that they can perform in AFT. The new scoring chart hasn’t been released or revealed yet.
