Posted on Jun 16, 2022
The Army’s search for gender-neutral fitness standards continues
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Fitness
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_Here, this 155mm artillery shell that needs to go in that howitzer is gender specific.
_Here, this field pack list and TO&E equipment and ammo load is gender specific.
_Here, this 25-mile tactical march with full combat load is gender specific.
Standards should not be tailored to gender until the tasks and missions become tailored to gender. You meet the task and mission standard, or you don't. Not a big deal, it is not like someone's life is on the line... Oh, wait.
_Here, this field pack list and TO&E equipment and ammo load is gender specific.
_Here, this 25-mile tactical march with full combat load is gender specific.
Standards should not be tailored to gender until the tasks and missions become tailored to gender. You meet the task and mission standard, or you don't. Not a big deal, it is not like someone's life is on the line... Oh, wait.
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Thank you my friend MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. for making us aware via the perspective from armytimes.com auther Meghann Myers that the U.S. Army's search for gender-neutral fitness standards continues.
As a member of the USMAPS class of 1976 and the USMA class of 1980, I expereinced the U.S Army's dedication to enable women to be military servie academy cadets, midshippmen, etc. A lot of scientific knowledge and testing to ensure that standards for women cadets was sufficient to be hold them to standards equivelent to male cadets.
As a member of the USMAPS class of 1976 and the USMA class of 1980, I expereinced the U.S Army's dedication to enable women to be military servie academy cadets, midshippmen, etc. A lot of scientific knowledge and testing to ensure that standards for women cadets was sufficient to be hold them to standards equivelent to male cadets.
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It's a difficult issue. Men and women ARE physically different, and thank God for that! I believe that trying to defeat the inherent design of the human body won't meet with much success. Yes, we need fitness, health and combat readiness. How we measure those characteristics across our entire force is a problem I'm grateful I don't have to solve.
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Maj John Bell
I think it is a great thing with a lot of potential to improve the overall performance of the services. As a company grade officer, I and the company leadership spent too much time on Marines who would always be physically sub-par. The standard is the standard. Barring some temporary medical condition, you meet the standard, or you look for employment elsewhere. It isn't like the standard is a surprise.
In units I commanded, I ran USMC inventory PFT monthly. We did a MCCRES standard 25-mile force march Monthly. Fail either without a valid medical exemption and you had daily remedial training after the rest of the unit secured for the day. The Marines could re-test any Friday or Saturday night starting at 2000 hours. I or the 1st Sgt and all the officers, SNCO's and NCO's in the Marine's chain were required to participate in any re-test.
In units I commanded, I ran USMC inventory PFT monthly. We did a MCCRES standard 25-mile force march Monthly. Fail either without a valid medical exemption and you had daily remedial training after the rest of the unit secured for the day. The Marines could re-test any Friday or Saturday night starting at 2000 hours. I or the 1st Sgt and all the officers, SNCO's and NCO's in the Marine's chain were required to participate in any re-test.
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Maj John Bell
MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. - After about three months, we never had a PFT of MCCRESS force march failure.
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MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D.
As a company commander, I informed my NCOs and officers that to get a max rating on their ER for fitness they had to score at least 290 on the APFT. To get a satisfactory rating I expected them to score at least 240. I also told the troops if they beat my APFT score I would give them a three-day pass. Rather than max the test, I purposely scored a 295 to give them a more realistic target. It worked great. We won the Draper Award for Armor Leadership amongst all armor companies and cavalry troops in the 4th ID in FY '85 for having the highest PT scores, most reenlistments, best tank gunnery scores, fewest disciplinary actions, highest equipment readiness rate, etc.
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