04-29-2025
Earlier this year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Army to use “combat-neutral” fitness requirements for soldiers to be eligible for combat. Using “combat-neutral” standards will likely reduce the number of women who qualify for combat roles within the Army. Thus, potentially making it more difficult for the military to recruit and retain women for some military positions. These new standards will be phased in beginning in June and implemented by October 2025.
For many years, the Army considered and debated how to fairly assess whether female applicants were physically ready for demanding combat positions. In 2022, the Army created different physical standards for women and older service members. It made the decision after a RAND study showed that women and older troops failed its annual fitness test at much higher rates than men. The Army made the changes to ensure that elite roles were available to women. Other branches of the armed services also use different fitness tests for men and women in varying degrees.
Hegseth stated that gender-specific standards will remain for some military positions. However, he asserted women should not be allowed to perform combat roles unless they meet the same standard as men. The new Army Fitness Test, which replaces the former Army Combat Fitness Test, “is designed to enhance soldier fitness, improve warfighting readiness, and increase the lethality of the force.” Recruits must complete deadlifts, push-ups, planks, a two-mile run, and a sprint (followed by dragging a weighted sled and carrying kettlebells). Women and men will have to lift at least 140 pounds (up from 120 previously for women). They will have to run two miles in 22 minutes, rather than the former 23 minutes and 22 seconds. Active-duty officers must take this test twice a year. If they fail two consecutive times, they may no longer be permitted to serve.