New Combat Fitness Test Puts Army Soldiers' Careers on the Line

New Combat Fitness Test Puts Army Soldiers' Careers on the Line

The U.S. Army has introduced a rigorous new physical assessment that active-duty soldiers in combat roles must conquer in order to keep their positions. Those serving in 24 designated combat specialties—including special forces and artillery officers—now face the challenge of completing seven consecutive physical events within a 30-minute window with no breaks allowed.

Failure to meet the standard carries serious consequences, with soldiers facing potential dismissal from the service or reassignment to non-combat duties.

What the Test Entails

The demanding assessment includes:

• A one-mile run
• 30 dead-stop pushups
• 100-meter sprint
• 16 lifts of 40-pound sandbags onto a 65-inch platform
• 50-meter carry of two 5-gallon Army water cans, each weighing 40 pounds
• 50-meter movement drill combining a 25-meter high crawl with a 25-meter 3-5 second rush
• Another one-mile run

Consequences and Support

Soldiers who do not pass the examination will enter a reconditioning program and receive 90 days to attempt the test again. A second failure may result in involuntary separation or reclassification to a noncombat position. The Army is implementing the new test immediately but will allow soldiers a full year before taking disciplinary action against those who fall short.

Service members who cannot meet the standard may voluntarily request reassignment to non-combat roles during this transition period.

Separate from Regular Fitness Requirements

The new combat field test operates independently from the Army's standard Fitness Test and does not replace it. Active-duty personnel in combat specialties must pass both assessments annually. Meanwhile, National Guard and Army Reserve personnel need to pass only one of the two tests per year, alternating between them.

Part of Broader Military Reforms

This initiative stems from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's mandate to bring combat specialty service members back to what he describes as "the highest male standard." Since assuming control of the Defense Department, Hegseth has pursued aggressive changes aimed at reshaping military culture, implementing more stringent grooming requirements and elevated physical fitness benchmarks.

In a September address to hundreds of senior military officials, Hegseth criticized current fitness standards, stating:

"Frankly, it's tiring to look out at combat formations, or really any formation, and see fat troops. Likewise, it's completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon."

Controversy Over Gender Standards

The previous year, Hegseth directed the Army to adopt a "sex-neutral and age-normed" physical fitness test while simultaneously asserting that women service members must meet identical standards as men. However, Hegseth maintains a documented skepticism toward women in combat roles. In his book The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free, he contended that women "cannot physically meet the same standards as men."

During a November 2024 podcast appearance, Hegseth elaborated further, declaring:

"I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles. It hasn't made us more effective. Hasn't made us more lethal. Has made fighting more complicated."

Female combat veterans have disputed the defense secretary's assertions, maintaining that women are already required to meet equivalent standards as their male counterparts.

Official Justification

Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll characterized the new combat test as 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."