FORT EUSTIS, Va. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Army senior leaders have approved a new strenuous fitness test designed to “better prepare soldiers for combat tasks, reduce injuries and lead to ample cost savings across the service,” according to the Army News Service.
The six-event readiness assessment, called the Army Combat Fitness Test, will replace the current three-event Army Physical Fitness Test, which has been used since 1980.
Beginning October 2020, all soldiers will be required to take the new gender- and age-neutral test. The Army will conduct field testing prior to implementation.
The six events in the test include: strength-deadlift, standing power throw, hand-release pushups, sprint/drag/carry, leg tuck, and the 2-mile run.
“The Army Combat Fitness Test will ignite a generational, cultural change in Army fitness and become a cornerstone of individual Soldier combat readiness,” Maj. Gen. Malcolm Frost, commander of the Army’s Center of Initial Military Training told Army News Service. “It will reduce attrition and it will reduce musculoskeletal injuries and actually save, in the long run, the Army a heck of a lot of money.”
Researchers developed the test over the past six years to determine what soldiers would need for combat readiness.
“The current PT test is only a 40 percent predictor of success for performing in combat and executing warrior tasks and battle drills,” Frost said. “This test is approximately an 80 percent predictor of performing based on our ability to test the physical components of combat fitness.”
The Army estimates $4 billion is spent each year due to injuries, non-deployable soldiers, accidents and other health-related costs.
As part of its culture change, the Army is building a Holistic Health and Fitness System to produce healthier and fitter Soldiers. The new test is one piece of the system, in addition to the OPAT, the improvement of fitness centers, and healthier options at chow halls.
You can read more about the new test here.