Two changes to the Army’s physical fitness requirements will remain in place for the 2021 fiscal year. Recruits and Soldiers graduating from initial entrance training courses will no longer be required to pass a fitness test to graduate outside of the general physical testing of the course. In addition, failing scores of the new accepted fitness test of the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) replacing the Physical Fitness Test will not be counted against soldiers.
New recruits or Soldiers graduating from Basic Combat Training, Advanced Individual Training, One Station Unit Training, Warrant Office Basic Course and the Basic Officer leader course will no longer be required to pass a fitness test to graduate. This temporary suspension begins with the new fiscal year of October 1, 2020 and will remain in place until September 30, 2021, the end of the fiscal year. This temporary suspension will align the trainees to the fitness test policy of the rest of the Army.
In 2019, the Army began requiring trainees to pass the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) to graduate from the training courses, allowing a passing grade even if failing one of the events. Beginning October 1, 2020, the ACFT became the gold standard, the only accepted fitness test replacing the Army Physical Fitness Test. The fitness test was made of six events: 3 repetition maximum deadlift (MDL), standing power throw (SPT), hand release push-up – arm extension (HRP), spring-drag-carry (SDC), leg tuck (LTK) and 2-mild run (2MR). The tests were designed to test flexibility, agility, endurance and strength. However, given the decreased availability for training and testing during the pandemic, failing score will not be counted in the 2021 fiscal year.
The new ACFT testing required new equipment and gear to be distributed to all initial military training locations and duty stations. Coupled with the pandemic restrictions in place for several months in 2020, there was decreased time and ability to train for the ACFT. With the equipment now in place in most locations, Soldiers will begin training and using the equipment to take the ACFT. Training resources for preparing for the ACFT are available here.
OK, let’s see, first the Army eliminated the Drill Sergeant ‘Shark Attack’ for Day-1 inductees as the Army moves towards a Kinder, More Gentile Basic Training Start.
Now the Army feels that it has to eliminate the requirement for Recruits and Soldiers graduating from initial entrance training courses to pass a fitness test to graduate,
What’s next, will the Army be issuing a “yet-to-be-designed” Time-Out Flag that the soldiers can wave at the enemy to get a Time-Out when the strain of battle becomes too much–“Poor-Baby, do you need a Hug?”
This is what happens when the need to “Win and Excel” is eliminated from schools. Yeah, give them a ribbon for participating. Oh, they attended, may even have passed a test, but they were there, in attendance, probably on their cell phone, vicariously climbing a mountain, killing off a gaggle of Zombies, updating their Facebook, etc… Anything to keep them from “loosing” their self-esteem.
But wait, what really is “self-esteem” but confidence in one’s own worth or abilities; self-respect.
When one does nothing to test one’s mettle, where does the confidence in one’s own worth, abilities, and self-respect” come from?
It certainly does not come from some “namby-pamby” coddling that only creates creatures lacking in character, which are weak and indecisive, lacking in moral or emotional strength, who are sentimental, pretentious, or affected; insipid.
Back in the 1960s, I was in 5th and 6th grade when I participated in JFK’s Presidential Fitness Challenge. We had to do push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, an agility tests, climb the rope, and more. And everyone in my school was proud to participate. I still have my certificate. We also played touch football, softball, kickball, and yes–dodge ball. Remember, the object of dodge ball is not just to hit your opponent with the ball, but to also catch your opponent’s tossed ball.
Images of a small child, cowering in a corner during a dodge ball game, being wacked by balls, is the image portrayed by an overprotective, helicopter parent, who believes that completely shielding their child from inevitable problems and disappointments is a necessary part of parenting. Subsequently, the coddled child will learn to depend on others to rescue him or her from life’s calamities instead of depending on him or herself. Coddling also has to do with over indulgence and spoiling. This leads to a child expecting that the world is a place where their needs are always met.
But Hey, the Army has a lot of helicopters, so maybe this is not so much of a bad thing. Since the Drill Instructors will have more time with the ending of the Shark Attack and the lessening of the need for fitness test, maybe the DIs can read to recruits at bedtime such child favorites as “The World Needs More Purple People” by Kristen Bell, that will help the recruit to understand that the Army is a new challenge. Where they need to become a “purple person” and embrace what makes them special.
I am afraid there will never be another generation that will challenge the Greatest Generation.
I completely agree with Old Chief Master Sergeant whose seen it all. I remember when they came out with the stress card, or really it was a mood ring on a card. Talk about a bunch of wimps. I used to compare them to the boy scouts, but they boy scouts is no more. The girl scouts are tougher than the recruits coming out of basic training these days.
You do know that stress cards was a rumor and that never happened, right?
I guess readiness of our troops isn’t.
A test isn’t a test if everyone scores 100%, and having no test is even worse.
This will breed problems in discipline, poor attitudes, (why should I?) and destroy competition.
What happened to Army’s “Be all you can be”?
It all started when you had tennis shoes to wear during pt. Wait, I have to change my boots before I can do that! Do you think an enemy is going to say “Okay, I’ll wait”! Get real! Wife of a guy who’s motto was, “Follow Me”!