United States Army Combat Fitness Test

The United States Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) is the forthcoming 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 and is graded on a scale with a maximum score of 600. The test is scheduled to take full effect as the US Army's fitness test of record as of April 2022.

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. Such injuries may also be a significant contributing factor in the attrition rate for current service members.

It was also designed to address the "declining health and fitness standards of incoming recruits". 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.

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. The test is currently undergoing testing and refinement, and is scheduled to replace the United States Army Physical Fitness Test as of October 2020. In 2019, the new test was fielded with 63 Reserve and National Guard units. It is the first change in the US Army physical fitness test in four decades.

In the latest version of the Army Combat Fitness Test, (ACFT 3.0), the military is considering "use of a performance tier program that accounts for the physiological differences between the genders" and considering "making the plank a fully scored option for the leg tuck".

Description

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

The test consists of six athletic events completed over the course of 50 minutes:

# Three-rep trap bar deadlift of between and
# A backward and overhead medicine ball throw
# Hand-release push-ups over a period of two minutes
# shuttle run referred to as the "sprint-drag-carry"
# Plank
# run

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.

Unlike its predecessor, the ACFT does not adjust standards based on age or gender. Instead, soldiers are assigned to one of three tiers based on their military occupational specialty. However, this 'do-not-adjust' policy caused a debate whether it would penalize women and overshadow expertise and intellectual preparations.

See also

* Army Body Composition Program
* Neurobiological effects of physical exercise
* Two miles

Notes

References

External links

*

Official Army website for the ACFT

{{Military fitness tests

United States Army physical fitness
Fitness tests
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