By The FirstThe Pentagon revised its physical fitness guidelines this week for the first time in 40 years, easing requirements for female soldiers and older enlisted service members.
“This test is an essential part of maintaining the readiness of the Army as we transform into the Army of 2030,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said in a statement. “The revisions to the ACFT are based on data and analysis, including an independent assessment required by Congress. We will continue to assess our implementation of the test to ensure it is fair and achieves our goal of strengthening the Army’s fitness culture.”
“ACFT scores collected during the diagnostic period show some groups failing at noticeably higher rates,” a RAND study states. “The biggest impacts are observed for women, but we also see differences in pass rates across components, with the U.S. Army Reserve and the Army National Guard lagging behind the Regular Army, and across military occupational specialties.”
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