Idea to replace Air Force fitness test with monthly standards popular on service website

The switch to gender-neutral minimum monthly requirements for cardiovascular and strength training would eliminate test stress, increase year-round fitness activity, and decrease last-minute injuries that often occur ahead of tests, the proposal stated.

Instead of a test, units would implement new requirements, such as running 20 miles and spending four hours at the gym per month, which would be tracked using an application on a phone or smart watch that monitors physical activity.

However, a plan involving a fitness app could face security challenges. The Pentagon barred the use of fitness trackers and similar phone apps at sensitive locations in 2018 after the app Strava published a global “heat map” that revealed locations of U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria.

Funding may be required for the development of an application capable of tracking, collecting data and receiving information from other fitness apps, Finley wrote.