US Navy to lower its fitness standards – again
December 24, 2017
U.S. Pacific Fleet / CCL
How soon until the military starts handing out participation trophies?
The U.S. Navy announced earlier this month that it will be scaling back its physical fitness requirements for both officers and enlisted personnel in an effort to boost recruitment.
The new rules, which are set to take effect March 31, 2018, will givenearly 50,000 sailors who previously did not meet fitness requirements a “clean slate,” according to Navy Times.
Effort to Increase Ranks
Prior to this rule change, sailors have been required to leave the service if they fail two Physical Fitness Assessments, or PFAs, within a three-year period. The PFA is a two-part process consisting of Body Composition Assessment and a Physical Readiness Test, the latter of which grades sailors on push-ups, sit-ups, and a 1.5-mile run based on their age.
The new regulations will allow sailors who have failed these PFAs to remain in the service “until at least the end of their current enlistment or service obligation,” according to Navy Times.
“If those sailors pass their next PFA test, they will be in good standing and can potentially stay beyond their current enlistment,” according to the Times. “But if they continue to fail the PFA, they won’t be allowed to stay in beyond their current service obligation, according to the new rules.”
These changes are a part of the Navy’s effort to increase its personnel by 4,100 by September.
“Retention of every capable Sailor is critical to the operational readiness of the Navy,” Vice Adm. Robert P. Burke, the chief of naval personnel, wrote. He continued:
The goal of the Navy’s physical readiness program is to maintain a minimum prescribed level of fitness necessary for world-wide deployment and to maintain a sailor’s long-term health and wellness.
Not the First Time
This isn’t the first time the Navy has lowered its personnel standards recently. According to Navy Times, “the change marks the third time in a week that the Navy has scaled back its rules that send sailors prematurely packing before the end of their enlistment.”
The branch has also recently “increased high-year tenure for E-3 sailors and ended early out programs.”
In addition, the Navy relaxed its body fat standards in 2015.
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Almost 1,700 sailors were discharged last year for failure to meet PFA standards, and as of July 2017, more than 43,000 sailors received at least one failure on a PFA in the previous three years — one away from dismissal. Records showed that another 5,477 failed twice.
The Navy’s new rules will give these sailors a reprieve if they wish to remain in the service. But wouldn’t a smarter way to recruit more sailors be to simply increase their pay?
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