APRIL 18, 2022 – On March 23, the Army unveiled its newest version of the Army Combat Fitness Test. This test, after several years of tweaks and revisions, will be used for record starting Oct. 1.
While the new test went live on April 1, until Oct. 1 it will be considered a diagnostic test for all active- duty Soldiers. Reserve and National Guard Soldiers will have until April 1, 2023 to prepare for the record test.
“This is not ‘ACFT 4.0,’” said Sgt. Maj. Michael Grinston, sergeant major of the Army, during a town hall at Fort Riley, Kansas, March 22. “It is the ACFT.”
The decision to replace the Army Physical Fitness Test with the ACFT was made because the new test better assesses Soldiers’ overall physical fitness.
According to the ACFT webpage, www.army.mil/ACFT, the ACFT is designed to test Soldiers’ muscular strength, endurance, power, speed, agility, coordination, flexibility, balance, reaction time, and aerobic capability.
Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, U.S. Army Sustainment Command, took the ACFT the week of April 4-8.
Per regulation, active-duty Soldiers are required to take an ACFT twice a year. The Soldiers at ASC take their test in April and October.
“The diagnostic test is to give Soldiers a picture of their individual readiness,” said Maj. Rylie DeLong, commander of HHC, ASC. “It gives the Soldiers a spot check on where they are, so they can work on their weaknesses before the record test.”
Once the test becomes a record test, adverse actions such as a bar to enlistment, being denied promotion, or being forced to leave the Army, can be applied if a Soldier fails two tests in a row.
The biggest changes to the ACFT is that it is no longer going to be used as a test to prepare Soldiers for combat, but as a test to evaluate their overall physical fitness.
Since the test is no longer to determine Soldiers’ fitness for combat, some ASC Soldiers would like to see the Army implement a second “combat readiness” test, in addition to the ACFT.
“I approach this topic through the lens of an infantry person,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jonathan Tyndall, ASC command sergeant major’s operations noncommissioned officer. “If a Soldier only meets the minimum standard (on the ACFT), it would be a hindrance to the fighting force.”
Tyndall, however, went on to add that he thought the new changes were a great way to determine general fitness for the Army, but said he believes a separate pass/fail test to assess combat preparedness is warranted.
Unlike previous versions of the ACFT, the new version has different scoring standards based on the gender and age of the Soldier taking the test. This is more in line with the standards that the old Army Physical Fitness Test also incorporated.
The change from a gender and age neutral test to one that factors in those things is due to a recommendation from Rand Corp, a Washington D.C.-based think tank that found that almost half the female Soldiers tested could not pass the original ACFT.
Some Soldiers, like Col. Douglas Moore, the ASC Staff Judge Advocate, welcome the return to the age and gender standards.
“This revision, more than any other for the new ACFT, closes the gap between the old APFT and the ACFT, while allowing for consistency across the Army,” said Moore. He also said that the focus can be placed on better assessing the physical fitness standards of the Soldiers.
Under the previous version of the ACFT, all Soldiers were required to complete a minimum of three 140-pound deadlifts. To max the deadlift the Soldier had to lift 340 pounds, three times. With the new version, a 17-21 year old female Soldier will be required to lift a minimum of 120 pounds to pass. To achieve a maximum score, she would have to lift 210 pounds three times. Her male counterpart in the same age group would be required to lift 140 pounds to pass and 340 pounds to achieve a maximum score.
Leg tucks, which tested the core strength of a Soldier, have also been eliminated from the ACFT. Replacing it is a plank.
Grinston said that the reason for getting rid of the leg tuck is that a Soldier may have good core strength, but not good grip strength, which was causing some Soldiers to fail the event. The plank gives a more accurate assessment on the Soldier’s overall core strength.
The 2.5 mile-walk has also been added as an alternative event to test Soldiers cardio fitness if they have a permanent running profile.
Soldiers can also utilize a row, bike or swim test to test their cardio fitness if they are on a no-run permanent profile, which exempts them from running due to injury, and do not wish to walk, presuming accommodations can be made.
Story by Sgt. 1st Class Corinna Baltos
U.S. Army Sustainment Command