


The old Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) only tested a soldier’s ability to do push-ups, sit-ups, and a two-mile run. The ACFT measures a variety of physical abilities, including muscular strength, endurance, power, agility, and speed. Its purpose is to more accurately assess soldiers’ physical readiness for combat situations. The ACFT is expected to significantly enhance readiness through better physical fitness training that prepares Soldiers for occupational demands required of them in combat.The Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) is a new physical fitness test for the United States Army. The APFT measures muscular endurance and aerobic endurance but, alone, is an insufficient measure of total combat fitness. The Army currently has one record physical fitness test for serving Soldiers, the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). The existing Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) will remain in effect during the transition period. Individual performance minimums will be set for each demand category. Scoring standards will be further refined during the field testing phase but are set at three levels: Black (heavy MOS physical demands), Grey (significant MOS physical demands) and Gold (moderate MOS physical demands).
Acft physical demand categories full#
Full implementation is expected at that time.

Field testing will begin October 2018 and final validations are expected to be complete by October 2020. What continued efforts does the Army have planned?Īrmy senior leaders approved the transition to six field-expedient test events that better measure a Soldier’s combat fitness. The TRADOC version of the test during the pilot was originally known as the Army Combat Readiness Test during its development. The Army used the pilots to validate the order and direction for the individual events to ensure the ACFT can be used across the entire Army. These pilots developed similar events and produced similar results.

Independent pilot testing in FORSCOM and TRADOC took place in 2017 to 2018. Those components are muscular strength, muscular endurance, power, speed, aerobic endurance and agility. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine and USACIMT validated specific physical fitness test events that measure all components of fitness relative to the physical requirements of combat. The test will improve movement lethality, transform the Army’s physical fitness culture, reduce preventable injuries and associated attrition, and enhance Soldier mental toughness and stamina.Īrmy senior leaders recognized a need to increase readiness by training and assessing a Soldiers physical capacity to safely and effectively perform physically demanding common warfighting tasks.ĭirect work on the ACFT started in 2013 with an empirical study of high physical demand for common Soldier tasks. This new physical fitness test will strengthen unit and collective readiness and provide the nation with physically fit Soldiers of unmatched lethality to deploy, fight and win decisively on any future battlefield. Army Center for Initial Military Training (USACIMT). Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) and the U.S. The Army will execute the test through U.S. The Army approved a new physical fitness test for all Active, National Guard and Reserve Soldiers that is highly correlated with combat readiness. Army Center for Initial Military Training
