General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFemale Soldiers Will Have to Pass 'Sex-Neutral' Physical Test, U.S. Army Says
The new Army Fitness Test comes after Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, ordered the elimination of lower fitness standards for women in combat roles.Women in U.S. Army combat roles will be expected to pass the same sex-neutral physical test as male soldiers, that military branch announced on Monday, weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the elimination of lower physical fitness standards for women in combat. The change could hinder the Armys ability to recruit and retain women in particularly dangerous military jobs.
The new test, the Army Fitness Test, will replace the Army Combat Fitness Test, and is designed to enhance Soldier fitness, improve warfighting readiness, and increase the lethality of the force, the Army wrote in its announcement. The new scoring standards will be phased in beginning on June 1, the Army said.
Like its forerunner, the new test will be administered to active duty soldiers twice a year, and once per year to National Guard and Reserve troops. If soldiers fail the test two times in a row, they may be removed from the Army.
The new fitness test is very similar to the previous one. It consists of five events: dead lifts, push-ups, planks, a two-mile run and a workout where soldiers sprint, then drag a weighted sled and carry kettlebells.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/us/new-army-fitness-test-women.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Bk8.rVuw.WlhHV4xNY69C&smid=url-share

Lovie777
(18,077 posts)enough already.
Irish_Dem
(68,479 posts)They must do as well as the women or get kicked out of the military.
And yes emotional IQ, social awareness, etc is an important military combat skill.
surfered
(6,310 posts)haele
(14,136 posts)Most women can pass the generic PT run, or swim, or bicycle.
They can even pass the pushups or pull-ups with a bit of training, if they couldn't before -just like men who have issues (and yes, I've seen men have problems with pushups, too).
Of course, we tend to carry a wee bit more weight up top and our upper body musculature to aligned to carry that weight, so pushups can be a pain.
Main problem comes in if there's been soft tissue damage in the shoulders or biceps.
However, the PT is not really that good an indicator of stamina and core strength needed to do a job, and this whole "Starship Troopers" attitude of what makes a good soldier, sailor, or airman is just as realistic as expecting the quality of your military personnel depending on how good they look in dress uniform.
The most competent and lethal person I knew - an active duty SEAL officer - looked like a shortish, slightly schlubby looking average accountant in uniform; thinning hair, skinny arms and legs, big ears, and all.
Guys who look like Jocks might be able to hump a lot of weight, but they're usually not fast, reactive, or as flexible in the long term as they should be to actually be good in an emergency or combat situation.
Besides, do you really need to have all your troops - mechanics, drone operators, supply clerks, medics, cooks, IT/cyber/comms techs, interpreters and analysts - to be running over rocky terrain laying down covering fire for your APCs and Tanks in combined arms attack on a terrorist camp or other enemy position?
Have your troops maintain the gender neutral physical fitness expected for their jobs with the bumper qual of "in case of emergency" fitness.
That's all you need.