The United States Army is planning to introduce a brand new gender-neutral fitness testing system. With revolutionary actions occurring all around the world, the Army has decided to join in.
The new fitness test was developed with the help of the RAND Corporation. A memo from March of this year read that “RAND Corporation analysis and Army data from nearly 1 million test records helped inform the new standard.” This allows for the new test to be developed fairly. Another reason for this analysis being useful is the info obtained from records allows the test to be created from real world examples.
There are a few main reasons these new standards were introduced. Pete Hesgeth, the Secretary of Defense said “different standards for men and women in combat arms MOSes and jobs, that’s not acceptable. A “MOSes” is a Military Occupational Specialty. It describes what a job role is and has specific codes to go along with it. We need to have the same standard, male or female, in our combat roles.” The Army is trying to create a stronger army with stronger soldiers. This means that at the bare minimum, another gender must be able to accomplish the same physical requirements as another.
The test will consist of the following: deadlifts, push-ups, planks, a two-mile run and a sprint-drag-carry exercise. For younger women, the standards shall increase significantly – deadlifting 140lb instead of 120. Another major change for women is the running test. The new testing system will take off 90 seconds of required run times. Combat soldiers must now score “a minimum of 60 points per event and an overall minimum score of 350” under the sex-neutral standards, according to the army’s press release.
The new test will only affect the following roles: “Infantry, special forces, artillery, armor, cavalry, mortarmen, and combat engineers.” In short, the test will affect combat roles. However, this raises a few questions. For example, a commonly raised question is “Should intelligence officers, who often were on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan, also count as combat arms?” Details like this remain to be uncovered.
This initiative aligns with congressional directives from the fiscal year 2024 defense bill, which required the Army to establish “increased minimum fitness standards” for combat roles. The new standards originally covered 20 MOSes before the Army added the Special Forces warrant officer role.
Many people also are concerned that the new standards could affect women. This idea stems from data collected during the ACFT trials. In testing done in 2019, 84 percent of female soldiers failed the ACFT, compared to a 70 percent pass rate for men in similar units, according to a RAND Corporation assessment. The Service Women’s Action Network criticized the initial rollout, calling the process “rash” because “too many otherwise qualified soldiers are failing elements of the test.”
“As the nature of warfare evolves and the demands on our service members grow more complex, it is imperative that we assess and refine the physical fitness standards that enable our readiness and lethality,” Hegseth said in the memo.
