The Army announced this week that it is once again changing the service wide physical fitness standards that soldiers will have to pass, called the Army Fitness Test (AFT).
The new AFT ostensibly replaces the previous Army physical fitness test, the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) which itself replaced the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) which was phased out in 2020. The APFT was a simple exam that consisted of push-ups, sit-ups, and a two-mile run. The ACFT was intended to boost performance amongst soldiers and raise standards, but turned out to be quite controversial.
ACFT events included the three-repetition maximum deadlift, standing power throw, hand-release push-up, sprint-drag-carry, plank, and two-mile run. Originally, the ACFT also included the most salacious of exercises, the leg tuck, which female soldiers had difficulties with, leading to a congressional inquiry.
The new AFT consists of five events, including three-repetition maximum deadlift, hand-release push-up, army extension, sprint-drag-carry, plank, and two-mile run. So basically, the ACFT minus the already defunct leg tuck and now the standing power throw is also gone. The Army claims the AFT is backed up by a data sample size of 1 million test records and a Rand Corporation study.
The AFT is also sex-neutral and age-normed, so male and female soldiers will be on the same grading scale. The new physical fitness test is slated to begin to be phased into the Army as the new standard this June.