Army Unveils New Fitness Standard For Men And Women To Bolster Readiness And Lethality
In a move aimed at strengthening Soldier readiness and increasing the lethality of the force, the U.S. Army today announced the establishment of the Army Fitness Test (AFT) as its new official physical fitness test of record. This updated assessment will replace the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT).
The AFT, a five-event evaluation, is strategically designed to enhance the overall fitness of Soldiers, directly contributing to improved warfighting capabilities.
The test incorporates the three-repetition maximum deadlift, hand-release push-up arm extension, sprint-drag-carry, plank, and a two-mile run.
The development of the new standard was informed by extensive analysis conducted by the RAND Corporation, alongside data gathered from nearly one million Army fitness test records.
The implementation of the AFT will be rolled out in a phased approach, commencing on June 1, 2025. New scoring standards specifically for Soldiers in 21 combat military occupational specialties (MOSs) will take effect on January 1, 2026, for the active component.
Reserve and National Guard Soldiers in these MOSs will transition to the new standards by June 1, 2026.
Notably, the AFT combat standard is both sex-neutral and age-normed. Soldiers serving in combat specialties will be required to achieve a minimum score of 60 points in each event, with an overall minimum score of 350. For Soldiers in combat-enabling specialties, the AFT general standard is performance-normed by sex and age groups, requiring a minimum of 60 points per event and an overall score of at least 300.
Further details regarding implementation guidance and associated execution orders are slated for release in May.
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