An annual physical fitness assessment is the basis of military life. The latest branch of the military, the Space Force, is abandoning its model and switching to a higher-tech fitness tracker.
JUANA SUMMERS, Host:
What would the US military look like without an annual physical test? Well, it’s probably like the latest branch of the army, the Space Force. Reported by Eric Schmidt of St. Louis Public Radio.
ERIC SCHMID, Signature Article: Several Air Force soldiers gather on a six-lane truck at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. They are about to start running 1.5 miles. To pass this part of the Air Force fitness test, each Air Force soldier must complete within a time set based on his age.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON # 1: So whenever you’re ready, thumb up. Knock this out. Good, good, good. Good, good, good behind. All right-cool. all right. All right-starts with -3, 2, 1-.
SCHMID: Early in the morning, they completed the other part of the fitness test.
Unified Person # 2: Are you ready for the push upper? Up.
SCHMID: 1 minute of uninterrupted push-ups and subsequent abdominal exercises.
Unified Person # 1: Count out loud, everyone.
SCHMID: This annual assessment is how the Air Force measures whether the Air Force is physically ready for what their services require. However, the Space Force takes a different approach to fitness. Members do not take the annual test. Instead, get a smart ring or other wearable fitness device to track your physical activity throughout the year. Chief Master Sargent James Sevales is a senior enlistment leader in space force training and preparation commands.
JAMES SEBALLES: Our standards haven’t really changed, have they? We are still using the Air Force PT standards. The difference lies in our approach.
SCHMID: The Space Force is planning a digital community of troops called parents. There you can see the data from your device compared to other devices in the service. Patrick Hitchins is the CEO of Austin-based Fit Rankings and the company that builds the platform for the Space Force. He says he can count the activities that parents usually do, but this is not always the case.
Patrick Hitchins: Maybe you’re not good at running. Maybe you are not good at pull-ups. Therefore, these tests have some dimension in which one activity form takes precedence over another.
SCHMID: Seballes says the Space Force wants this approach to turn fitness into carrots rather than sticks.
SEBALLES: Fitness is often used as a kind of go, no go, as you know, right? You either have it or you don’t. I know people who can perform and perform all aspects of PT, you know, a really fast mile and a half, but their diet is still poor. Their sleep habits are poor. They are not healthy.
Schmid: Studies have also shown that annual tests have led some military personnel to engage in eating disorders and other unhealthy behaviors on health issues. Lindsay Bodell is an assistant professor of psychology at Western University in Ontario.
LINDSAY BODELL: People can behave quite extreme with these consequences of not meeting the criteria.
SCHMID: Space Force leadership wants the data parents get from their devices to help increase their ownership of their health. However, Bodell warns that switching to a fitness monitor carries its own risks. Studies have pointed out an association between eating disorder symptoms and the use of fitness trackers.
BODELL: I think some negative consequences may be a kind of prejudice that they can interfere with other activities, such as sticking to a particular athletic regime or numbers.
Schmid: Bodel says this topic is relevant to the military and needs more research. Meanwhile, the Space Force will evaluate the fitness tracker program a year later to determine if it will be permanent. For NPR News, I’m Eric Schmidt from St. Louis.
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