Army Sgt. Chelsey Davie prepares to toss a ball during the combat fitness test event of Kosovo Force Regional Command East's Best Warrior Competition on Aug. 27, 2020 at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo. (Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Melisa Washington)
By: FEDweek StaffThe Army is considering ways to modify its fitness test to take into account the physical differences between men and women. When the new Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) takes effect sometime next year, it likely will entail a performance-tier approach that would be updated annually, said Maj. Gen. Lonnie G. Hibbard, head of the Army Center for Initial Military Training.
“Army senior leaders are listening to what our soldiers are saying about the ACFT,” Hibbard said.
One change gives soldiers the option to choose either the leg tuck or plank for the assessment of their abdominal core. Officials believe the change will lead to an overall increase in scores. Meanwhile, the more difficult leg tuck will still be considered the main test of core strength.
The new system’s scoring tiers would range from platinum for those who score in the top one percent to green for those in the lowest 50 percent of the total force. Averages for men and women would vary, but everyone would be required to meet the minimum standard regardless of their sex.
In time, the test would allow for soldiers to compete against each other, thus providing the Army with an annual picture of overall fitness among the ranks. Scores would be stacked by gender, from 360 to 600. For the immediate future, however, scores will not be used to compare performance. Also, they will not be used administratively for good or bad for the time being, while the Army continues to collect data.
The Army first recognized the need to revamp fitness training in 2003, when commanders noticed that some soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan could not perform basic skills like moving to cover, firing weapons and administering first aid. A 2009 revision of training included activities intended to better prepare soldiers for combat, but service leaders soon determined that the training and fitness test did not jibe. Simply put, soldiers needed to become stronger and more physically fit. The ACFT emerged as a result.
The advent of the new test has triggered concern among the ranks, particularly with those soldiers who fear their inability to pass it could end their military careers. Hibbard is urging soldiers to simply take the test anyway, find out where they stand, and work from there to improve performance if need be.
“The more you take [it], the more you understand your strengths and weaknesses and how to train for it,” Hibbard said.
