Army’s Controversial Fitness Test Might Become Official This Year, Leaked Plan Says

The Army’s controversial new fitness test was launched later this year by Army leaders after years of advocacy by Army leaders facing skeptical Congress worried about biased gender differences in test utility and performance. It may replace the standards measured decades ago.

On Sunday, the test run timeline was posted on the Army’s official website and was immediately removed. An readily available overview states that the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) will be conducted and will be used to evaluate soldiers from April. The test was introduced to the service in 2019, but the results are only used by Army leaders to understand how the test is scored and which events will survive, and the data does not affect the military career. did.

According to screenshots of web pages that are currently being removed, all active duty and full-time Army National Guard and Reserve forces have not yet been able to begin to impact their promotion in new tests or lead to administrative action. In addition, you will still have it until October 1st. If you don’t pass the fitness test, it’s a reason to leave the Army. All part-time National Guard and Reserve soldiers must have an ACFT score on their record by April 1, 2023.

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All active and full-time guards and reserve soldiers are expected to take two tests each fiscal year. Part-time troops will take one test.

Army officials claim that the timeline was not yet official and was released prematurely. Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth, who has expressed great concern about the test, has the final say.

“The contractor mistakenly posted a pre-decision ACFT course of action that was not approved by the Secretary of the Army,” Army spokesman Colonel Kathy Wilkinson said in a statement. “We apologize for the confusion. After the Secretary of the Army has made the final decision on the Army’s fitness test, the Army’s priority is to clearly communicate the test of records and the timeline.”

In May, Military.com obtained early data on tests showing that nearly half of Army women failed to pass ACFT. This is a problematic finding given the military’s recent series of efforts to promote a more inclusive environment. In this test, soldiers need a deadlift of 140-340 pounds. This is a smaller soldier, especially a female, who struggled to achieve a high score on the test.

The female was tested as the Army conducted further tests, substituting the use of boards instead of leg-tuck events (the task of soldiers pulling themselves up at the bar and then touching their knees to their elbows). It started to show better performance. Lots of upper body strength. The initial data reported by Military.com was collected before Plank was introduced as an alternative event.

However, simply passing the test may not be enough for a soldier’s career. High scores can lead to enrolling the army in elite courses such as ranger schools, and can snowball for faster promotions and more employment opportunities. According to internal statistics for 2020, only 66 females scored more than 500 points, compared to 31,978 males. The maximum score is 600. Two-mile running is the most commonly failed event to date.

When the data was quoted at Warmouth’s confirmatory hearing, she said she was skeptical of the need for CrossFit-style testing. The Army needs a certain level of physical fitness baseline, but given that such minorities play a role in ground combat and the Army needs to be a competitive employer in such growth areas. I didn’t know if such a difficult test was needed. As a cyber war.

“I’m concerned about the impact of the test on the ability of women to remain retained,” Warmus, the first woman in this position, told lawmakers at a hearing last year.

Parliament has postponed the implementation of the ACFT under the National Defense Authorization Act of 2021, which sets Pentagon funding and policy priorities. Parliamentarians directed an independent study to be conducted on the effects of testing on retention and the ability of soldiers to train for testing in various environments. The study, conducted by Rand Corporation, has since been completed and the findings are being reviewed by Army leaders. The results of these surveys will be published in early March.

–Steve Beynon can access the following addresses: Steve.Beynon@military.com.. Follow him on Twitter @ StevenBeynon.

Related: Can the Army’s new fitness test survive critics and become official in April?

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