Army Announces Female Soldiers Will Have to Pass Sex Neutral Physical Fitness Tests

NYT, Female Soldiers Will Have to Pass ‘Sex-Neutral’ Physical Test, U.S. Army Says

Women in U.S. Army combat roles will be expected to pass the same “sex-neutral” physical test as male soldiers, that military branch announced on Monday, weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the elimination of lower physical fitness standards for women in combat. The change could hinder the Army’s ability to recruit and retain women in particularly dangerous military jobs.

The new test, the Army Fitness Test, will replace the Army Combat Fitness Test, and “is designed to enhance Soldier fitness, improve warfighting readiness, and increase the lethality of the force,” the Army wrote in its announcement. The new scoring standards will be phased in beginning on June 1, the Army said.

Like its forerunner, the new test will be administered to active duty soldiers twice a year, and once per year to National Guard and Reserve troops. If soldiers fail the test two times in a row, they may be removed from the Army.***

 The test for noncombat units, also called combat-enabling roles, will continue to be assessed based on sex and age, the Army said. If a currently enlisted close combat unit member cannot pass the new test, they would be required to change their military occupation, said Sgt. Maj. Christopher Mullinax.

The new test comes three weeks after Mr. Hegseth ordered the elimination of lower physical fitness standards for women in combat positions. In 2022, the Army had eased the standards for women and older members.

Mr. Hegseth, a former National Guard infantryman and Fox News host, has previously opposed the inclusion of women in some combat roles. In a recent book, he wrote that “women cannot physically meet the same standards as men.”

“Dads push us to take risks,” he wrote. “Moms put the training wheels on our bikes. We need moms. But not in the military, especially in combat units.”

He later backtracked, saying in December that “if we have the right standard and women meet that standard, Roger, let’s go.”