AUGUST 3, 2026 – The 84th Training Command hosted the Army Combat Field Test, July 31st, 2026 at Fort Knox, KY. A combined force effort made of the three Army components supported more than 20 Soldiers taking the CFT said Army Reserve Capt. Stacy Pepitone, the 84th TC Holistic Health and Fitness Systems Manager. The 84th TC CFT achieved a 100% pass rate with 0% musculoskeletal injuries. The successful CFT was a direct result of the comprehensive and integrated Total Force coordination, encompassing medical personnel, transportation teams, graders, and all participants.
Including the 84th Training Command, Soldiers across the 87th Training Division, 88th Readiness Division, 83rd Army Reserve Readiness Training Center, 411th Engineer Battalion, 979th Engineer Company, and Kentucky National Guard took the CFT said Pepitone. Observers from the 86th Training Division, 87th Training Division, Human Resource Command, and Army Reserve Careers Group attended the event to learn best practices for immediate CFT implementation.
The 84th TC H2F team provided advanced CFT education and day-of H2F implementation for Soldiers with spiritual, mental, nutritional, sleep, and physical readiness. As an H2F Integrator, Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Leshawn Collins, assigned to the 84th TC, felt he needed to take the CFT in order to better serve the Soldiers in his unit.
“I think [the CFT] is a well needed test,” said Collins. “I believe it will tap into a level of performance in Soldiers that the Army Fitness Test and the prior [Army Physical Fitness Test] is unable to tap into. One of the reasons I volunteered for the CFT is because I am an H2F Integrator. I feel as though I can’t assist a Soldier and optimize their performance if I don’t have any experience in the tests they’re preparing for. I feel I have to go through that experience before I can try and assist someone.”
Collins said that the CFT is more difficult than the AFT and it exposed his personal grit.
“At the start of the first one mile run…I said ‘ok, business as usual,’ and I started running,” said Collins. “By the third lap I was beginning to feel gassed already. [I was thinking] this is the first part of the CFT and I still have all these other parts of the CFT to go… I don’t think people realize the level of motivation that has opened up for a lot of Soldiers who didn’t believe they were going to pass [the CFT].”
Army Directive 2026-07 authorized the CFT among Soldiers within 24 designated combat military occupational skills, consisting of seven continuous events completed in 30 minutes or less while wearing the Army Combat Uniform, combat boots, and brown t-shirt, with no cover. Secretary of the Army Hon. Dan Driscoll believes the CFT will prepare Army Soldiers to dominate the modern battlefield.
“The CFT is a critical step forward in ensuring our Soldiers serving in the most physically demanding specialties have the specific fitness required to dominate on the modern battlefield,” said Driscoll. “This is about readiness, lethality, and the well-being of our Soldiers.”
Collins reflected on the most important aspect of CFT preparation.
“I believe the mind is by far the strongest muscle that we all have,” said Collins. “I believe the physical aspect of everything we do is only a small fraction of what it takes to be successful. I train my mind harder than I train my body.”
Story by Staff Sgt. David Campos-Contreras
84th Training Command