Happy New Year, colleagues! I hope everyone’s 2019 has kicked off to a determined start. It’s been two weeks and I’ve already abandoned all my resolutions, save one: preparing to not embarrass myself during the imminent Army Combat Fitness Test. It turns out that for-record administrations of the ACFT could be upon us a year earlier than previously reported, on 1 October 2019.
We’ve been fielding lots of emails with questions about the ACFT, and unfortunately we haven’t any insider information; all we can do is keep scouring the media for clues, and refer Soldiers to the OFFICIAL ACFT SITE. However, to more efficiently respond to some of your questions, this post is going to consolidate some of the information out there.
And why should you care about the ACFT?
Because it’s not just about the test itself… it’s about a change to Army culture.
GEN Stephen Townsend, the TRADOC commander, recently told the Army Times that Soldiers’ training—irrespective of MOS—“will be more rugged, austere and geared toward fighting a near peer threat” as the Army pivots from “decades of counterinsurgency to prepare for near-peer threats such as Russia and China.” As GEN Townsend says: “If we go to war against a near-peer adversary, we’re probably not going to deploy to some forward operating base. It’ll probably be some forest, some field. And those soldiers are going to be told, ‘secure your area and establish your activity.’”
All of this in line with TJAG’s admonition—which we published a year ago—to “Be Ready”. Embracing the ACFT is one of the ways to do so.
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The FIRST thing to know—and this is by far the most common question we’ve been emailed—is whether there will be “alternate events” for Soldiers on profile or with some other limitation.
The short answer: No.
The long answer: No, not at this time. But probably always “no”. Instead of letting someone with an injury or disability “roll along” by accomplishing substitute events, the objective here will be to “develop an interim assessment to figure out when ― or if ― a soldier will be able to complete an ACFT again, and thus be combat ready.”
The SECOND thing to bear in mind is that there will be six events instead of three. The Army Times released some tips on how to “ace it”, but also emphasizes that scoring “perfect 100s” is going to be a lot harder. Here are the standards:
Deadlift: 3 repetitions; minimum weight is 140 lbs., maximum weight is 340 lbs.
Standing Power Throw: toss a 10-lbs. medicine ball backwards, over the head. Minimum distance is 4.6 meters, 13.5 meters is the 100-point max.
Hand Release Push-Up: each rep will require lowering the body flat on the ground and then lifting up again; unlike the current APFT push-ups, soldiers must keep a straight back while resting in between reps. These are not your grandfather’s push-ups.
Spring, Drag, Carry: compound event consists of a 50-meter course that requires soldiers to sprint, drag a 90-pound sled, shuffle laterally down the field, carry two 40-pound kettle bells and then sprint up and down again. More to follow.
Leg Tuck: On the pull-up bar, lean back and lift your legs up so that your knees meet your elbows.
The 2-Mile Run: You’re going to be exhausted for this final event (which must be completed within 21 minutes). That’s what the Army wants.
The THIRD most frequent question we receive relates to scoring the test. This is the (preliminary yet) official score chart. The minimum score in each event is 60. The Army’s objective is to deploy a gender- and age-neutral, 100-point system for each of the six events.
“War doesn’t distinguish between gender and age. You can be 20 years old on the battlefield, or you can be 50, and you’re going to have to accomplish the same mission. This test helps you execute your warrior tasks and battle drills, no matter who you are,” said CSM Edward Mitchell, command sergeant major of the Center for Initial Military Training.
So keep up the training, JAGWARriors!
Let’s show the Army that the JAG Corps knows how to read new regulations, and then flawlessly implement them.