Army Combat Fitness Test

The United States Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) is the fitness test for the United States Army. It was designed to better reflect the stresses of a combat environment, to address the poor physical fitness of recruits, and to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injuries for service members. It consists of six events. Each event is graded on a scale from 0 to 100 points. A minimum of 60 points is required to pass each event. The maximum score is a 600. The test is the US Army's fitness test of record since October 2022.[1]

For the US Marine Corps test, see Combat Fitness Test.
Member of the Maryland Army National Guard demonstrating the leg-tuck event of the ACFT

Development

The ACFT was developed to more closely measure "combat-readiness", after it was found that more battlefield evacuations were performed during the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan due to musculoskeletal injuries than were due to the ongoing fighting.[2] Such injuries may also be a significant contributing factor in the attrition rate for current service members.[3]

It was also designed to address the "declining health and fitness standards of incoming recruits".[4][lower-alpha 1] Studies leading up to the release of the new standard indicated an "increase of overweight recruits who can't pass entry-level physical fitness tests" as well as an increase in injuries resulting from the poor physical condition of new soldiers.[6]

The ACFT began development in 2013, and was based on a set of 113 essential "warrior tasks and drills" laid out in army doctrine, as well as feedback from those who had completed tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.[7][8] The test replaced the United States Army Physical Fitness Test in October 2022.[1] In 2019, the new test was fielded with 63 Reserve and National Guard units.[9] It is the first change in the US Army physical fitness test in four decades.[2]

Before being finalized, the ACFT went through several changes. Such changes included removal of the "leg tuck" and replacing it with a plank and changing scores to be age- and gender-dependent. Initially, the ACFT was planned to be scored without regard for age and gender.[3] Instead, soldiers were assigned to one of three tiers based on their military occupational specialty.[3] However, this 'do-not-adjust' policy caused a debate whether it would penalize women and overshadow expertise and intellectual preparations.[10] Eventually, age- and gender- based scoring was introduced.

Description

The ACFT is intended to more closely mimic physical tasks and stresses associated with combat.[11] It is designed to measure "power, speed, agility ... balance [and] muscular and aerobic endurance".[7]

The test consists of six athletic events:[2][3]

  1. Three Repetition Maximum Deadlift: Soldiers choose a weight to lift using a hex-bar three times. If a soldier fails to properly perform three repetitions, they may choose a lighter weight. If a soldier succeeds on their first attempt, they may attempt a higher weight. Of both attempts, the higher weight that was correctly lifted is used.
  2. Standing Power Throw: Soldiers throw a 10-pound (4.5kg) medicine ball, backwards and overhead, as far as possible. Soldiers have two attempts and the higher of both distances are used for scoring.
  3. Hand Release Push-Up: Soldiers execute as many hand release push-ups as possible within two minutes. One repetition of a hand release push-up is started at the prone, pushing the body up and lowering back down, fully extending the arms to the sides and putting the arms back under the shoulder. Soldiers may be stopped early for breaking proper form.
  4. Sprint-Drag-Carry: Soldiers begin in the prone and then sprint up and down a 25 meter (82ft) strip, drag a 90-pound (41kg) sled up and down the strip, perform laterals up and down the strip, carry 40-pound (18kg) kettlebells, and finally sprint. Soldiers aim for the lowest possible time.
  5. Plank: Soldiers hold a proper plank position for as long as possible.
  6. Two Mile Run: On a generally flat route, soldiers run for two miles, aiming for the lowest time.

It is graded in a scale with a maximum score of 600 points. In August 2019, a member of the 22nd Chemical Battalion became the first soldier to record a perfect score, beating out the previous record of 597, set in June by a member of the Kentucky Army National Guard.[12][13]

See also

Notes
  1. According to one source, "almost half of commanders questioned [in a 2018 survey] said that newly arriving soldiers could not meet the physical demands of combat" and "12 percent of soldiers at any one time cannot deploy to combat areas because of injuries".[5]

References
  1. Cox, Matthew (June 28, 2019). "Army to Adjust Standards for New Combat Fitness Test This Fall". Military.com. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  2. Mayers, Dave (March 11, 2019). "What it takes to pass the Army's new Combat Fitness Test". Vice Media. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  3. Associated Press (February 7, 2019). "Here's a look at the U.S. Army's new physical fitness test — it's much more grueling". MarketWatch. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  4. Moore, Emma (June 7, 2019). "Implementing new PT standards may hurt Army readiness. The service should learn from how US allies pulled it off". Task & Purpose. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  5. "US Army Develops New 'Combat Fitness Test'". Voice of America. February 10, 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  6. McDonald, Scott (December 4, 2018). "U.S. Army Aims for Tougher Fitness Standards Despite Amount of Overweight Recruits". Newsweek. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  7. Summers Lowe, Miranda (March 28, 2019). "'Swat the Kaiser' and Stork Stands: The History of Army Physical Fitness". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  8. Cox, Matthew (July 10, 2018). "Army Does Away With Age-Specific Scoring in New Combat Fitness Test". Military.com. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  9. Rempfer, Kyle (August 8, 2019). "As ACFT rollout nears, leaders talk preparation, test difficulty and how to train 'without exact equipment'". Army Times. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  10. New York Times (2021-03-11). "Where Fitness Is the Job, Army Struggles to Be a Fair Boss With Female Troops". The New York Times.
  11. Augustine, Katie (March 7, 2019). "New Army Combat Fitness Test holds pilot program in Winterville". WNCT-TV. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  12. Martin, Stephen (June 26, 2019). "Kentucky Guard Soldier posts highest ACFT score yet". US Army. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  13. Vandiver, John (August 28, 2019). "Soldier is first to achieve perfect score on new Army fitness test". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
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