In 2020, Captain April Brunner became the first female company commander to lead a rifle company in the Missouri National Guard. The U.S. Army has established new physical fitness test standards that require combat specialty female soldiers to meet the same standards as their male counterparts. On the 22nd (local time), the U.S. Army announced that the Army Physical Fitness Test (AFT), which reflects so-called ‘gender neutrality’, will replace the current Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT). The new test is similar to the existing one and includes five components: deadlift, push-up, plank, sprint with weight handling, and a 2-mile (about 3.2 km) run.
The major change is that female soldiers in 21 combat positions who could engage in intense combat during wartime must meet male standards to continue their military careers. The New York Times reported that combat female soldiers aged 17–21 must successfully deadlift 140 pounds (about 63.5 kg) instead of the previous 120 pounds (about 54.4 kg). For the 2-mile run, they must finish within 22 minutes instead of the previous 23 minutes and 22 seconds to pass. The U.S. Army physical test requires candidates to meet at least the minimum standard in each of the five events, and failing in any one results in disqualification. Soldiers who fail twice consecutively must discharge. However, female soldiers who fail to meet the male standards but satisfy the female standards can be transferred to non-combat roles.
The new regulation will take effect in June this year and apply to active-duty soldiers starting from the January test next year. The strengthening of female soldiers’ qualification standards was instructed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegsath. Secretary Hegsath ordered the elimination of lower physical test standards applied to combat specialty female soldiers. This decision reverses the move made during former President Joe Biden’s tenure in 2022 when the standards for physical tests for female soldiers were lowered for fairness. Secretary Hegsath, a former National Guard infantry officer, had expressed opposition to female participation in certain combat roles before taking office. In his recent book, he also conveyed the view that the roles of female and male soldiers are distinctly different.