Pentagon Mandates 70% Fitness Scores for Combat Arms Troops
The Department of Defense has issued a sweeping new fitness policy that requires service members in combat arms occupations to achieve at least a 70% average on their regular fitness tests, according to a memo released August 31. The policy, first reported by Task & Purpose, codifies changes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered last fall and replaces the Pentagon's 2022 fitness guidance.
Under the new rules, more than 80 military occupations across the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force are now designated as combat arms. Troops in these roles must also complete an annual Combat Field Test (CFT) in addition to their standard service fitness test. A separate Combat Readiness Test (CRT) will apply to non-combat troops.
"Combat arms troops in all services, which covers more than 80 military occupations, must also take a separate combat field test each year, meeting separate requirements also set by their service," according to the policy.
How the 70% threshold is calculated varies by branch. For the Army, soldiers in combat occupations must score at least 350 of 500 possible points on the five-event Army Fitness Test, with a minimum of 60 points per event. The Marine Corps will require combat arms Marines to score at least 210 of 300 points on the Physical Fitness Test, equivalent to 70% using the male scoring table. Navy and Air Force officials said each service is still determining its own implementation.
Army to Roll Out Mobile App for Fitness Score Tracking
As the new standards take effect, the Army is preparing to launch AFT Go, a mobile app designed to streamline fitness test score recording and uploading. The app will allow test administrators to digitally record soldiers' scores on a smartphone and upload results directly to personnel systems, according to Stars and Stripes.
Soldiers who tested the app in July at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, said it was easy to use and noted its ability to connect with the Army Training Information System. The Army plans a fall rollout.
"AFT Go aims to eliminate much of the manual paperwork and post-test data entry that typically pile up after fitness tests," the service said in a statement.
Why the Policy Matters
The new fitness standards represent one of the most significant overhauls of military physical readiness in decades. Hegseth has been a vocal critic of what he calls "fat troops" and "fat generals," and has pledged to return combat arms jobs to "the highest male standard only."
The policy requires combat arms troops to be held to male-based standards on regular fitness tests, while non-combat troops will continue to be evaluated using sex- and age-normed standards. It also establishes testing timelines: active-duty troops will take two fitness tests per year, while National Guard and Reserve members will take one.
The changes have unfolded alongside a Pentagon review of women in front-line jobs. In December 2025, Pentagon personnel chief Anthony Tata announced a study on the effectiveness of integrating ground combat units, prompting concerns among some that it could be used to justify restricting women from combat roles. Critics have questioned the study's independence after it was transferred from the Institute for Defense Analyses to Johns Hopkins' Applied Physics Laboratory and placed under a researcher involved in a controversial 2015 study Hegseth has cited to argue against women serving in combat jobs.
The new policy also addresses pregnancy and postpartum fitness, and establishes tracking mechanisms for testing results across the services. Commanders are now required to allow time for physical fitness every duty day.
Broader Implications for Military Readiness
The codification of fitness standards comes as the military services continue to implement changes ordered throughout 2025. The policy identifies combat arms occupations across all branches except the Space Force, which has no designated combat arms jobs.
The Army's list includes 23 occupations spanning infantry, combat engineers, diving, field artillery, Special Forces, armor and cavalry, and explosive ordnance disposal. The Navy's 19 designators cover SEALs, special warfare combat crewmen, explosive ordnance disposal personnel, and divers. The Marine Corps has the largest list with 32 occupations, while the Air Force lists eight, including pararescuemen, combat controllers, and tactical air control party airmen.
The policy states that combat field tests must be able to be conducted "in any environment, at any time, with combat equipment." How each service implements the 70% requirement and the CFT remains largely up to branch officials, leaving significant details to be worked out in the coming months.
The changes mark a shift toward standardized, mission-focused fitness requirements that military leaders say better reflect the demands of modern combat. Whether the new standards will improve readiness or create new challenges for recruitment and retention remains to be seen as the services move from policy to implementation.
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