Defense Primer: Military Physical Fitness Testing and Body Composition Program

August 15, 2022

Defense Primer: Military Physical Fitness Testing and Body

Composition Program

Under Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, Congress has

broad authority over the Armed Forces and, as such, has a

duty to maintain physically capable forces to conduct a

range of military operations. Various statutes authorize the

Department of Defense (DOD) to determine physical

fitness and body composition standards for servicemembers

and individuals entering military service. The services also

use physical fitness and body composition standards when

considering certain career assignments and advancement.

These standards are intended to support good health,

physical readiness, and professional military appearance.

The military is concerned with excess body fat due to its

relationship with obesity and comorbid medical conditions

such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain

types of cancer. Excess weight can cause joint pain and

reduce cardiovascular capability, and can be detrimental to

people and equipment in space-limited situations (e.g.,

military aircraft and vehicles). A higher risk of comorbid

conditions for servicemembers and veterans also has

longer-term health care cost implications.

The standards have become a subject of debate in Congress

and among other observers and military leaders. Some have

expressed concern that current standards are outdated,

unscientific, or unsuited to current military job

requirements, and may not predict performance in combat

conditions. They have also argued that there is potential for

gender-bias in existing standards, or have concerns that

these standards may incentivize harmful behaviors (e.g.,

eating disorders). Some military leaders have highlighted

recruiting challenges, in part related to ineligibility of some

civilian youth under existing height and weight standards.

Proponents of the standards argue that reducing or waiving

standards could weaken the military’s combat capabilities.

Background and Authorities

Title 10, Section 113 of the U.S. Code delegates authority,

direction, and control of the DOD to the Secretary of

Defense (SECDEF). In addition, 10 U.S.C. §§505 and 532

provide for the enlistment or appointment of “able-bodied”

and “physically qualified” recruits. Under these authorities,

the SECDEF has established policies on minimum physical

fitness and body composition standards. The services then

set their own standards based on these parameters.

DOD Instruction 1308.03, DoD Physical Fitness/Body

Composition Program, establishes allowable body mass

index (BMI) and body fat (BF) percentages for

servicemembers by gender. The policy requires each

service to develop science-based physical fitness tests that

measure individual cardiorespiratory endurance (typically a

timed run) and muscular strength and endurance (e.g., situps, pull-ups/push-ups) for all service occupations. DOD

policy also states that these standards may be adjusted for

age and gender, or “gender-normed” (see Table 1 for

sample comparison). The services generally administer

physical fitness testing and measure body composition on at

least an annual basis, with some waivers for health or

pregnancy-related conditions. Servicemembers who fail to

meet the physical fitness and body composition standards

may be placed in remedial programs, denied reenlistment,

or subject to separation from the military.

Table 1. Comparison of Upper Body Strength Fitness

Standards, by Service and Gender

Number needed to attain the minimum and maximum scores

for ages 17-21

Army

Event

Male

Female

Handrelease

push-ups

min: 10

max: 57

min: 10

max: 53

Air

Force

Handrelease

push-ups

min:15

max: 40

min: 6

max: 31

Push-ups

Marine

Corps

Pull-ups

min: 46

max: 92

min: 20

max: 51

min: 9

max: 20

min: 1

max: 7

Navy

Source: 2022 fitness tests of record for each service.

Note: The Space Force has an alternate fitness assessment protocol.

Gender-Normed vs. Gender-Neutral Standards

Separate from the gender-normed fitness standards, DOD

policy requires gender-neutral occupational-specific

standards for physically demanding career fields in

accordance with statutory requirements (10 U.S.C §113

note). Congress first required these gender-neutral

standards as part of the FY1994 National Defense

Authorization Act (NDAA, P.L. 103-160§543). Congress

amended the law in the FY2014 and FY2015 NDAAs (P.L.

113-291 §524 and P.L. 114-92 §525) to require that genderneutral occupational standards (1) accurately predict

performance of actual, regular, and recurring duties of a

military occupation; (2) are applied equitably to measure

individual capabilities; and (3) measure the combat

readiness of combat units, including special operations

forces. In general, while gender-neutral standards measure

an individual’s ability to successfully complete an

occupational-specific task (e.g., infantry maneuver under

fire), fitness standards assess overall health and fitness for

general duty conditions.

Several studies have found that, on average, men have

greater muscle mass, cardiovascular capacity, and loadbearing capabilities than women. The services account for

these physiological differences through gender-normed

fitness standards. (These standards are also scaled for age.)

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Defense Primer: Military Physical Fitness Testing and Body Composition Program

Likewise, average body fat percentages vary by gender,

with women having proportionally more fat mass and men

having more muscle mass. According to the American

Journal of Clinical Nutrition, for people aged 20 to 39,

women should aim for 21%-32% of body fat and men

should aim for 8%-19%. These are generally considered

“healthy body fat percentages.” Some health experts have

found that women and men store fat differently in their

bodies; women tend to store fat in their thigh area, while

men store fat in their abdominal areas. These differences

are a factor in how the military measures body fat for men

and women (sometimes referred to as “tape-testing”). For

instance, body fat for a man is measured by comparing the

circumferences of the neck and waist, while body fat for a

woman is measured by comparing the circumferences of the

neck, smallest point of the waist, and largest point of the

hips. Table 2 lists allowable DOD body fat limits.

Table 2. DOD Body Fat Limits by Gender

Gender

DOD-allowable limits

Men

18%-26%

Women

26%-36%

Source: DODI 1308.03.

Note: DOD policy restricts the services from establishing body fat

percentage limits below or above the allowable parameters. These

standards do not vary by age.

Considerations for Congress

Congress may consider legislation or oversight activities to

address certain perceived issues with military fitness and

body composition standards.

Reliability of Standards and Alternative Testing

Protocols. Some researchers have argued that current

physical fitness and body composition standards and

measurement protocols fail to take into account variations

in body type by race and gender. The Senate Armed

Services Committee report S.Rept. 117-39 accompanying

the FY2022 NDAA (P.L. 117-81) noted that current body

composition standards are “based on archaic, homogeneous

data and standards that can be discriminatory,” and

commends a study by the Army Research Institute of

Environmental Medicine and the Marine Corps’ Human

Performance Branch using modern technology (e.g., body

scans) and assumptions to update military body

composition standards.

In terms of measurement tools and protocols, some experts

deem the tape-testing technique to be less accurate than

other techniques such as the “BodPod,” which measures

pressure changes within a closed chamber to determine

muscle and body fat volume. While the Army and Air

Force have this system available at several installations,

there may be cost and access barriers to implementing

advanced body fat measuring systems across the services.

Certain services have piloted or implemented alternative

testing programs. For example, in 2019 the Army began

implementing the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) to

better assess servicemembers’ physical preparedness for

combat-related tasks (e.g., carrying ammunition cans). The

Army intended to replace its legacy gender and age-neutral

fitness test and scoring with the ACFT. However, Congress

halted implementation in the FY2021 NDAA (P.L. 116-283

§598) pending the results of an independent study. The

resulting RAND study of the ACFT found disparate

impacts in pass rates by gender, age, military occupational

specialty, and component (with Reserve Component

members having lower pass rates). The Army transitioned

to age and gender-normed scoring in 2022.

The Space Force is reportedly piloting wearable fitness

devices in an attempt to potentially remove a physical

fitness test requirement entirely and better monitor

servicemembers’ overall health, including sleep patterns.

Some studies have found associations between physical

fitness testing periods and negative behaviors among

military personnel to quickly lose weight (e.g., self-induced

vomiting, use of diuretics or laxatives). More frequent

fitness monitoring through the use of wearables (vice

annual testing) could incentivize healthier eating and

exercise habits; however, privacy concerns and scalability

of this approach may limit broader application.

Accommodations for Pregnant and Post-Partum

Servicemembers. Adherence to body composition and

fitness standards may be more challenging for pregnant,

post-partum, and nursing servicemembers due to

anatomical and physiological changes—some of which can

be long-lasting beyond the post-partum period (e.g., hipwidening, diminished abdominal strength). Failure to meet

military standards could have a disparate impact on

promotion, assignments, and retention for post-partum

servicemembers. The services have policies that provide

exemptions from testing for a specified period of time. In

the FY2022 NDAA (P.L. 117-81), Congress included a

provision (§621) allowing those who give birth to be

exempt from testing for 12 months following the birth. The

law requires the services to implement this policy by

December 27, 2022. Congress may continue to monitor

implementation of this policy and any implications for

individual career progression and military readiness.

Recruiting. One original function of body composition

standards was to exclude underweight individuals from

military service due to inability to handle weight-bearing

and physically demanding activities. In recent decades,

more applicants for military service have been disqualified

for being overweight than underweight. According to July

19, 2022, testimony by the Army Vice Chief of Staff, only

23% of the service-eligible civilian adult population meets

the physical and mental fitness and academic proficiency

standards set by the military without a waiver. Some of the

options to address these challenges may be to lower

accession/retention standards—particularly for lessphysically demanding military career paths, enhance entrylevel training programs, or adopt broader national public

health initiatives to improve youth fitness and nutrition.

(For more background, see CRS In Focus IF11708, Obesity

in the United States and Effects on Military Recruiting.)

Elena Spielmann contributed research and analysis to this

report.

Kristy N. Kamarck, Specialist in Military Manpower

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Defense Primer: Military Physical Fitness Testing and Body Composition Program

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