Army Combat Fitness : Concerns for the Reserve Components

By Kevin Hollinger

The Army (ACFT) presents challenges for the Army Reserve and National Guard at every implementation and execution level. The Army operation instruction states, “The ACFT consists of the 3 Repetition Maximum (MDL), the Standing Power Throw (SPT), the Hand-Release Push-up (HRP), the Spring-Drag-Carry (SDC), the Leg Tuck (LTK) and the 2 Mile Run (2MR).”

To conduct the numerous drills for the ACFT, every unit needs the following equipment:

• 60-pound trap bar • Traffic cones • Plates weighing 340 pounds • Marker domes • 10-pound medicine ball • Designated test site 30m x 50m • 40-pound kettlebells (2) on grass or artificial turf, • 90-pound sled approximately ½ of a football • Pull-up bar field, a briefing area, an area to • Stopwatch conduct Preparation Drill and • Tape measure Recovery Drill, and a soft, flat area for field-based events

The total cost of this test is currently unknown. Still, it must also factor in the personnel to conduct the test, which includes event supervisors, graders, timers, demonstrators, and support personnel who have been through training. What is also unknown is the cost of how long it will take for each soldier to complete the test. Without the commitment to provide multiple lanes of training, meeting the test is significantly longer than the current APFT, two hours for an entire unit of 150 servicemembers.

We do know that the Active Component is planning to spend more than $40 million for equipment to begin testing plus the cost of training and certifying over five thousand fitness instructors. This is compared to the current Army Test (APFT), which is much less equipment intensive. For the APFT, you only require a grader, a stopwatch, a place for push-ups and sit-ups, and a place for the run portion, which comes to about 2 hours to complete an entire unit.

Without dispute, everyone wants a physically fit Army. For some reason, it was decided the APFT was not the right standard; however, the ACFT seems to have swung in the opposite direction, and now it is almost impossible for anyone, even if they train for just the ACFT events, to get a perfect score.

Throughout all my research into the AFPT, I could not find a unit where every soldier scored a max of 300 points or where a commander stated he had too many soldiers achieving 300. This would seem to indicate the APFT was challenging and tested for fitness. I would almost guarantee, if we lined up 100 soldiers and I told you 25 scored a 300 on the APFT, you could easily pick them out because most of them will be slim and physically fit. At the end of the day, it does not matter if you take an APFT or an ACFT; disciplined soldiers will rise to the top because they will train for whatever test they will be administered. It will not matter if you give an APFT, ACFT, or another new test; the ability to weed out unprepared soldiers will be the same.

The ACFT will be difficult for active duty but almost impossible for the Reserve Components to execute because they are not being given the required equipment and have limited time to prepare during training periods. The ACFT must be taken on a dry grass field, NO rocks, NO rain, NO snow, NO early morning dew -- which will be perfect if your unit trains under a covered dome field.

Currently, on IDT weekends, if there is inclement weather on Saturday and you cannot conduct the APFT, the commander can reschedule for the next day and have everyone show up at 0500 on Sunday and take the test. Assign a couple of graders and an NCOIC, and your mission is complete.

However, with the ACFT, to overcome delays due to weather on Saturday, you will need access to an indoor field with artificial turf, which typically needs to be reserved in advance. From personal experience as a Readiness NCO, it can cost thousands of dollars for a half-day. Then you need soldiers to show up early on Sunday to start loading up the trucks with sleds, plates, and kettlebells, then drive them over to the test area (hopefully there is one close to your Armory), and set-up the stations. That might seem doable but remember the equipment list at the top is for single equipment stations in one lane; in reality, you're going to need multiple lanes of everything listed, which can include approximately three thousand pounds of plates for ten deadlift stations. At the unit level, they will still need to figure out where to store their equipment. The cost of implementing 10 ACFT lanes will be over 1.2 million dollars plus the expense of qualifying trainers.

To truly prepare Reserve and Guard soldiers for the ACFT, they will either shell out money for training equipment that could cost over $20,000, or they will have to start paying expensive memberships. There is nothing wrong with expecting soldiers to be physically fit but setting a standard that will require them to pay for a gym membership is unacceptable. Furthermore, what happens if the servicemember is training (which the Army says they must do five days a week to pass) and are injured? Who takes care of them? What happens when they miss work from their civilian employer?

From the test units that conducted the test in 2019, we found that 84% of females that took the test failed. Bear in mind that the tested females were from units that were training specifically for the ACFT. I recently spoke with an Operations NCO from a transportation unit in the National Guard. He stated that because his soldiers are 88M (MOS), they are required to pass at the Heavy/Black standard, which means one of his soldiers, who is a female that weighs about 115 pounds, must deadlift 187 pounds 3 times and perform 32 hand-release push-ups in two minutes. That alone would be an impressive feat for anyone with that body type, but she must also conduct four other events. I believe this test is biased against female servicemembers.

According to the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act, the Army was directed to establish gender-neutral occupational standards. However, according to the Army website, www.us.army.mil/acft/, the ACFT is to measure the servicemember's physical fitness and combat readiness.

It is my opinion that the ACFT does not meet the intent of the 2015 NDAA.

SEC. 524. REMOVAL OF ARTIFICIAL BARRIERS TO THE SERVICE OF WOMEN IN THE ARMED FORCES.

(a) ROLE OF SECRETARY OF DEFENSE IN DEVELOPMENT OF GENDER- NEUTRAL OCCUPATIONAL STANDARDS.—The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that the gender-neutral occupational standards being developed by the Secretaries of the military departments according to section 543 of the National Defense Authorization Act for the Fiscal Year 1994 (Public Law 103–160; 10 U.S.C. 113 note), as amended by section 523 of the National Defense Authorization Act for the Fiscal Year 2014 (Public Law 113–66; 127 Stat. 756)—

(1) accurately predict the performance of actual, regular, and recurring duties of a military occupation; and

(2) are applied equitably to measure individual capabilities

The Reserve and Guard already consistently miss their retention and recruiting goals. The ACFT will mean more losses. We already see a high number of APFT failures, and that number will go up when soldiers can no longer step out of their front door and train. Failure means no schools and no promotions, which will further demoralize the Reserve and Guard, leading to diminished retention.

Although we support improving the current APFT, we do not support replacing it with a program that cannot help the Army Reserve Component soldiers who are more than half of the force.

ACFT will be next to impossible for the Army to implement in the RC. It should be reconsidered and not be reintroduced until there is a clear path forward for handling over half of the soldiers; it is designed to measure, not to mention the over 166,000 females currently serving.