New Army Fitness Test: No More Ball Yeet, Higher Standards for Combat Arms
The Army is set to make sweeping changes to its fitness test, according to an internal memo obtained by Military.com. The overhaul includes a rebranding of the test, the elimination of its most criticized event, and the introduction of new performance standards for soldiers in combat roles. First, the test will no longer be the […]
Military Review of Fitness Standards Will Find Array of Tests, But Higher Requirements for Combat
WASHINGTON (AP) — The defense secretary’s decision to review military standards on combat and physical fitness and appearance opens a Pandora’s box of widely differing rules among the services. And it will raise a crucial question: Should there be a cookie-cutter approach, or should service differences, evolving social norms and recruiting realities play a role […]
Army Is Breaking its Own Body Fat Standards to Meet Recruiting Numbers, Watchdog Says
The Army has been recruiting applicants who far exceed its body fat standards and not providing them the necessary medical services as they try to shed the weight and come into compliance, according to a new Defense Department inspector general report. The Army’s Future Soldier Preparatory Course was designed to expand enlistment eligibility for those […]
The Army's Fitness Standards May Shift in 2025. But How Much Tougher Will They Be?
The Army is poised to recalibrate its fitness standards, redefining the physical expectations for combat-arms roles in 2025. Yet, where those minimum requirements will ultimately land remains an open question — one that could present an early test for President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming Army leadership. The proposed changes stem from a congressionally mandated study conducted […]
Barracks Habitability Standards Ordered by Recently Signed Defense Bill
The Pentagon will have to set military-wide standards for what makes barracks habitable under the defense policy bill that was signed into law late last week. Requiring minimum standards for habitability is one of several ways this year’s National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, seeks to improve barracks conditions, which have come under increasing scrutiny […]
Congress Tells Army to Set Higher Fitness Standards for Combat Arms Soldiers
Congress is set to direct the Army to boost fitness standards for most combat-arms jobs through a compromise defense policy bill unveiled Wednesday. The must-pass National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, which sets funding and policy priorities for the Pentagon, directs the service to increase the baseline standards in the Army Combat Fitness Test, or […]
Once a Pilot, Army Program for Recruits Who Fall Short of Weight, Academic Standards Is Becoming Permanent
FORT JACKSON, South Carolina — The Army’s pre-basic training courses are here to stay and will likely be a fundamental tool for the service to fill the ranks amid falling academic performance and growing obesity among young Americans. The Future Soldier Preparatory Course was launched as a pilot program in August last year, with most […]
I Was Thrown Out of the Army Under the Old Standards Because I Was Too Fit. The New Standards Are a Step Forward.
The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration. I am a 2013 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. I was discharged in […]
Gender Neutral Standards, Return to Old Fitness Test: Congress’ Dueling Ideas for the Army
Both chambers of Congress have competing ideas to reinvent the Army’s new fitness test, an ongoing effort by legislators to alter fitness standards for the service that only last year received their first major update in decades. As part of the draft of the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, which directs policy and […]