St Cross Graduate published an article in The Defense Post

Amy Forza (2023, MSc Digital Scholarship) had an article published in the leading online publication The Defense Post, which provides news and analysis on defence, security, and military matters from around the globe. Known for its comprehensive coverage and in-depth reporting, The Defense Post serves as a reliable source of information for defence professionals, policymakers, and the general public interested in military affairs. The publication was recognised for its balanced and fact-based journalism, making it a respected name in defence news.

The article is titled “Rethinking Combat Fitness: Is the ACFT Aligned With Modern Warfare Needs?”. It critiques the U.S. Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), a test designed to measure soldiers' combat readiness through various strength-based tasks. It highlights that the U.S. Navy previously eliminated flexibility tests because males performed poorly, demonstrating a precedent for revising fitness standards to improve fairness. Despite this, the current ACFT still focuses unnecessarily on brute strength, favoring male physiology and overlooking essential fitness components like flexibility and agility. Initially, a gender-neutral standard was implemented, but it saw high failure rates among female soldiers and was subsequently discarded. However, this article cites medical research that shows how the current gender-specific ACFT still presents unnecessary disadvantages to female soldiers, who often excel in areas other than raw strength.

This imbalance narrows the definition of fitness and potentially sidelines vital skills for diverse operational demands, impacting the overall effectiveness of the military. Flexibility, crucial for injury prevention and recovery, is notably absent from the ACFT criteria. Additionally, the extremely high pass rates among male soldiers raise questions about the test's efficiency in measuring true combat readiness. The ACFT seems to undermine the 2015 lifting of the ban on women in combat arms by reinforcing biases concerning women's combat capabilities. Amy argues that recognising male and female physiology and tailoring fitness assessments to modern military skills is vital for national security.

You can read the article in full here.