ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

The latest version of the Army Combat Fitness Test will make its official debut with two major updates in the coming weeks, according to senior Army leaders. 

On April 1, the Army will introduce a new performance tier program for the ACFT, and the plank, previously a temporary alternative to the leg tuck event, will become a permanent option.

Soldiers’ health and fitness are part of the Army’s modernization plan, and that includes the Army National Guard, whose top NCO advised soldiers to “start taking care of your body” to be able to meet the rigors of service.

“When I ask soldiers about modernization, the first thing they want to talk about is equipment and facilities,” Command Sgt. Maj. John Sampa, the Army National Guard command sergeant major, said Dec. 2 during The AUSA Noon Report, a webinar series hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army.

The Army is rolling out new “performance teams” made up of experts such as strength trainers and dietitians as part of its Holistic Health and Fitness initiative to take better care of soldiers, a top general said. 

“We’re going to take care of the whole soldier under H2F,” Maj. Gen. Lonnie Hibbard, commanding general of the Center for Initial Military Training, said Oct. 15 during a media call.

The senior enlisted adviser to the Joint Chiefs chairman will speak during an upcoming webinar hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army.

Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Ramon Colon-Lopez, also known as the SEAC, will discuss fitness, diversity, professional military education and other topics during the Sept. 14 event as part of The AUSA Noon Report series.

The event begins at noon Eastern. It is free to view, but registration is required here.

The new Army Combat Fitness Test will be the service’s official test of record beginning Oct. 1, but soldiers’ scores will not be part of their records until 2022, senior leaders said.

“Pretty much the goal for this year is to take the test ... but it will not be used for any flagging or adverse action,” Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston said during a call with reporters June 15. “If you don’t pass the test, you will not be separated from the military at all.”

The Kentucky National Guard has received the first of more than 36,000 sets of equipment being shipped to locations across the Army before October 2020, when the new Army Combat Fitness Test becomes the test of record.

The Army plans to deliver over 36,000 sets of equipment to more than 1,100 locations between now and May as it continues to gather data on the test. It will also give soldiers a chance to take the test before it becomes the test of record on Oct. 1.

Army leaders are calling on soldiers to start taking the new Army Combat Fitness Test as soon as possible as they continue to gather data and work to update policies and regulations before October 2020.

The Army has been testing the new six-event ACFT since October 2018, but as of Oct. 1, 2019, every soldier in the Army has a year to complete two not-for-record ACFTs about six months apart. The ACFT will become the Army’s physical fitness test of record no later than October 2020.