Latest news with #StephanieCarl
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Here are the Army's new ‘sex-neutral' fitness standards
All soldiers can expect to do more push-ups, and women in combat jobs will have to pick up the pace in a two-mile run as much as three minutes faster, under the Army's new fitness requirements. 'There are a couple of age brackets where your minimum run time, you might have to run about 30 seconds faster in order to pass. There are a couple of areas where you've got to do more hand-release push-ups,' Command Sgt. Major Stephanie Carl told Task & Purpose. The Army released new score cards Friday that lay out the requirements of the new 'sex-neutral' standards announced last month. The cards cover mandatory performance for all five events of the new Army Fitness test under two categories: one labeled 'M/C' for male and all combat soldier,s and another as 'F' for female, which is for non-combat female soldiers. Under the re-branded Army Fitness Test, AFT, soldiers will have to complete a three-repetition maximum deadlift, hand-release push-ups, the sprint-drag-carry, plank, and a two-mile run. The new test got rid of the standing power throw, more informally referred to as the 'yeet' event. To pass the AFT, combat soldiers will have to earn a score of 350 points in total which averages out to between 60 and 70 points in each event. 'You're required to get 60 points in each event so if I know that I'm only getting 65 points in one of my events, I'm gonna have to make up that difference somewhere else and do more than 70 in another event in order to balance it,' Carl said. Under the old scoring card, soldiers across all ages were required to do 10 hand-release push-ups to pass the event with 60 points. Now, all combat soldiers, and all men, 17 to 21 will have to do 15 push-ups. Those between 22 to 31 will have to do 14 push-ups. Non-combat female soldiers in those age ranges will have to do 11. To get 60 points for the two-mile run, all female soldiers between 17 and 21 previously had to run within 23 minutes and 22 seconds. But under the new fitness test, all combat soldiers will have to run two miles within 19 minutes and 57 seconds — a decrease in time for women of more than three minutes. Non-combat male soldiers will also have to run the event nearly two minutes faster than they were required to previously. 'We've raised the bar for combat MOSs, ensuring these soldiers are physically prepared for the intense demands of their roles,' Sgt. Major. Christopher Mullinax said in a statement. 'The standardized scoring tables encourage all soldiers to achieve a higher level of overall fitness.' For non-combat MOSes, soldiers have to score a minimum of 300 points with 60 in each event. The Army Fitness Test became the Army's 'test of record' June 1 but soldiers in the 21 combat military occupational specialties will not face adverse actions for failing their tests until Jan. 1, 2026. If combat soldiers don't score a 350 after their second test attempt, they may be forced to reclassify into a new job. 'We do recognize there are some events that soldiers are going to have to work a little bit harder if they weren't training consistently,' Carl said. 'If you were a soldier who was just hitting the minimum on some of these events now, well, your minimum might have gone up and so you're going to have to work a little bit harder to achieve that minimum.' To get 60 points for the deadlift, women in combat roles and all male soldiers 17 to 31 will have to lift 150 pounds, 10 pounds more than they did previously. Female soldiers of the same ages will still have to deadlift 120 pounds. The time required to hold a plank remained the same for all soldiers. Marine in top enlisted spot leaving the Pentagon after just 2 years Army sergeant found guilty in spree of barracks break-ins and attempted murder End of the 'yeet': the standing power throw is out as new Army fitness test goes 'sex-neutral' for combat jobs Good luck figuring out the Air Force's algorithm for shaving waivers Army cuts athletic trainers from fitness teams, with medics to take up slack
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Army closes in on its elusive goal of a gender-neutral fitness test
Happy Friday! The Army announced this week that male and female soldiers in 21 combat military occupational specialties will have to meet the same standards on the new Army Fitness Test, which also eliminates the standing power throw event, which soldiers dubbed the 'overhead yeet.' Both men and women between 17 and 21 years old who serve in combat arms military occupational specialties will have to deadlift at least 140 pounds under the new changes — women previously had to lift 120 pounds. Women in that age group will also have to complete the sprint-drag-carry event in less than 2 minutes and 28 seconds, nearly a minute faster than the current requirement. The new standards will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026, for active-duty soldiers and June 1, 2026, for the National Guard and Reserve. Any soldiers who do not score 350 on the test after their second attempt will have to be reclassified into a new job based on the 'needs of the Army at that time,' said Regimental Sgt. Maj. Stephanie Carl, the senior enlisted leader for Army public affairs. The test partially fulfills the Army's longstanding — and elusive — goal of requiring men and women to be held to the same physical standards. In 2018, then-Army Secretary Mark Esper told reporters that the service was trying to create a PT test that was both gender- and age-neutral, 'because the enemy does not specify who they're going to shoot and not shoot — combat is combat.' The Army eventually abandoned the age- and gender-neutral standards after initial testing showed that 84% of women who took the tests failed. The service also dropped the leg tuck from the test — which 72% of women failed during testing — following a RAND report that determined the event did not accurately measure women's core strength. But in March, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the military services to develop 'sex neutral' physical standards for service members who directly participate in ground combat. The new changes to the Army's PT test 'fall in line' with Hegseth's instructions but are 'not a result of that,' said Command Sgt. Maj. JoAnn Naumann, the senior enlisted leader for U.S. Army Special Operations Command. While the Marine Corps currently has no plans to change its Physical and Combat Fitness Tests, 'All human performance standards are continually analyzed, assessed, and updated as needed,' said Maj. Hector Infante, a spokesman for Training and Education Command. 'All Marines in ground combat arms specialties are held to the same sex-neutral, occupation-specific, and operationally relevant physical standards,' Infante said in a statement to Task & Purpose. 'Regardless of military occupational specialty, all Marines must also complete age- and sex-normed general fitness tests: the Physical Fitness Test and the Combat Fitness Test.' Now that we've worked up a sweat, here's your weekly Rundown: U.S. struck 'hundreds of targets' in Yemen. The U.S. military has 'struck hundreds of targets' since resuming air and missile strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in March, Hegseth said during his visit on Wednesday to the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. His comments mark the first time in more than a month that a U.S. official has provided a public update on the number of U.S. strikes against the Houthis. More than 30 targets were hit on March 15 as part of the first wave of strikes, Air Force Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, director of operations for the Joint Staff, told reporters last month. Troops can detain 'trespassers' on the southern border. As part of the U.S. military's ongoing mission on the border, troops can now apprehend people within the New Mexico National Defense Area, a strip of land 170 miles long and 60 feet wide that was recently transferred from the Department of the Interior to the Defense Department, according to U.S. Northern Command. Troops conducting 'installation security support operations' within the defense area, which is now part of Fort Huachuca, are authorized to temporarily detain trespassers until they can be handed off to U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents or other law enforcement officials. 'Little Crappy Ships' no more. USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul recently intercepted two shipments of drugs within 72 hours, underscoring that the Littoral Combat Ship, or LCS, has found its niche with counternarcotics operations. Although the LCS has had its share of problems over the years, the ships are 'almost perfectly made' to stop drug smugglers. Other Navy warships, such as destroyers and cruisers, are better suited for high-end combat. Elbe Day anniversary. Friday marks 80 years since U.S. and Soviet troops met at the Elbe River near Torgau, Germany, shortly before the end of World War II. Pictures taken around that time show troops from both countries shaking hands and greeting each other warmly. In April 2020, President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a joint statement to mark the 75th anniversary of the event: 'The 'Spirit of the Elbe' is an example of how our countries can put aside differences, build trust, and cooperate in pursuit of a greater cause.' Trump returned to office this year, vowing to end the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Email storm. When you get an email that was accidentally sent to a large distribution list, for the love of God, please don't 'reply all.' Case in point, on April 15, a Marine's certificate for completing the corporal's course was accidentally emailed to the wrong distro list, so responses to the message went to 'a larger audience than intended,' said Capt. Jonathan Coronel, a spokesman for II Marine Expeditionary Force. Although it took about 20 minutes to fix the issue, some kept receiving responses for longer than that, said Coronel, who added that steps are being taken to avoid such SNAFUs in the future. He also said the email storm was an opportunity for small unit leaders to review 'basic email etiquette.' Subsequently, the email blast misfire led to a petition to have Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith attend the corporal's graduation ceremony — and it garnered nearly 1,700 signatures before being closed. Promote ahead of peers, indeed. Wishing you all a happy weekend! Jeff Schogol
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First Post
22-04-2025
- Sport
- First Post
No more ‘yeet', gender-neutral targets: How US Army is overhauling fitness test and why
The US Army is set to replace its Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) with the Army Fitness Test (AFT). The changes include getting rid of one of its most criticised events and introducing new gender-neutral standards for soldiers. But why is the army making the move? What do experts think? read more The US Army is set to replace its Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) with the Army Fitness Test (AFT). Reuters The US Army is revamping its fitness test. The Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) is slated to be replaced with the Army Fitness Test (AFT), according to several media reports. The US Army is getting rid of one of its most criticised events and introducing new gender-neutral standards for soldiers. The changes are set to take effect on June 1, 2025. But what do we know? Why is the US Army making this move? Let's take a closer look: STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What do we know? Newsweek quoted the army as saying that the AFT is intended to create a 'physically ready force capable of meeting operational demands in austere environments.' As per the army will be doing away with the Standing Power Throw – an event that sees soldiers throw 4.5 kilo medicine balls backwards over their heads. The trial is unpopular with soldiers for its preference for technique over strength and stamina. A Rand Corp study also suggested that taller soldiers did better in the event. The event is also known as the 'yeet.' 'Studies showed that the throw had the greatest risk of injury,' Command Sergeant Major Stephanie Carl told Task & Purpose. As per The Times of India, five events – the three-repetition maximum deadlift, hand-release push-up with arm extension, sprint-drag-carry, plank, and 3.2-kilometre run – will be kept. Soldiers must achieve a minimum of 60 points in each event and a minimum overall score of 350. Soldiers currently can score a maximum score of 600 points. With the Standing Power Throw being done away with, that total may come down to 500. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has criticised women in combat roles, has long made gender-neutral benchmarks a priority. Reuters As per it remains unclear what happens to the army policy that soldiers who score 540 on the test – thus proving their physical fitness – are exempt from height and weight requirements STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The US Army will also introduce gender-neutral targets that soldiers in 21 combat roles – such as infantry, armour, field artillery, cavalry and Special Forces – must achieve during the test. 'For those 21 MOSes, they will all be graded on the male scale, so it will be sex neutral,' Command Sergeant Major JoAnn Naumann told the military publication Task & Purpose. 'The passing score for most people will be a 300 with a minimum of 60 in every event. For those in those 21 specialties, the passing score will be 350 with a minimum of 60 in every event.' However, the memo makes no mention of cannon crew members, soldiers who operate howitzers and are tasked with lifting and loading heavy artillery ammunition. It remains unclear whether that is an oversight or typo. It also excludes combat medics from the types of combat jobs. Service members in combat roles who have been injured and cannot undertake the test will need to score at least 70 points on each event they can perform in AFT. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The new scoring chart is yet to be released. The memo stated that all active duty soldiers across the army reserve and National Guard will begin taking the new test in June. The gender-neutral standards will take effect on January 1, 2026 for active-duty soldiers and June 1, 2026, for Reserve and National Guard units. Why is the US Army making the move? Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has criticised women in combat roles, has long made gender-neutral benchmarks a priority. 'We need to have the same standard, male or female, in our combat roles,' Hegseth said in a video on X in March. 'Soon, we'll have nothing but the highest and equal standards for men and women in combat.' As per NewsWeek, the AFT has been introduced in keeping with the fiscal year 2024 defence bill which mandates that the army set up 'increased minimum fitness standards' for combat roles. The new standards initially covered 20 combat roles before the Army added the Special Forces warrant officer role. As pe_r Hindustan Times_, the ACFT was launched in 2022. Planned for over a decade, the ACFT was intended to be a role-specific assessment. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Its tests were tailor-made for different military occupational specialities (MOS) across the army. However, the role-specific plan was later vetoed later due to several logistical issues. The new AFT is thought to have a very low standard for passing. Male recruits, for example, must run 3.2 kilometres in 22 minutes and perform 10 hand-release push-ups. However, soldiers will also need to have elite levels of athleticism to make high scores. Strength and technique will both be tested. There are also concerns that women will face a tougher time. As per Newsweek, women in combat roles will need to achieve higher targets. In the previous system, a woman aged 17 to 21 needed to deadlift 54 kilos. Under the new standard, she must lift 63 kilos. The sprint-drag-carry event time for women has been shortened from 3 minutes and 15 seconds to 2 minutes and 28 seconds. 'The one thing that's definite is no standard will be lowered,' Naumann said. The apprehensions came from the results of the ACFT trials in 2019. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD At the time, 84 per cent of female soldiers failed the ACFT, compared to just 30 per cent of men. The Service Women's Action Network criticised the way the test was unveiled, calling it 'rash' because 'too many otherwise qualified soldiers are failing elements of the test.' 'I don't think we're going to suddenly see drastic changes in failure rates,' Naumann added. 'There's always been some people who fail whether through personal choice or just in ability to get there. I don't think that we're going to suddenly see mass amounts of retention problems. I would argue people want to be in organisations that have high standards.' With inputs from agencies
