Just before the Christmas holidays, the United States Marine Corps announced it would implement changes to the physical fitness test (PFT) and body composition standards in accordance with Department of Defense (DoD) directives. The changes announced in the September 30, 2025, memorandum took effect on January 1 of this year.
The PFT will be administered annually between January 1 and June 30.
“The Marine Corps will institute sex-neutral scoring for the physical fitness test for Marines with a combat arms primary military occupational specialty. The PFT will require those Marines to achieve a minimum score of 210 points, 70% of the total possible points, using the male, age-normed scoring standard outlined in Marine Corps Order 6100.13A,” the Pentagon explained.
The goal of the change is meant to reflect the unique physical demands of the combat arms roles, and to ensure that Marines are prepared for “sustained physical performance required in direct combat.” Those who fail to meet the 210-point requirement by the end of the reporting period will be required to participate in remedial physical training and may also face reclassification and/or promotion restrictions.
Marines in noncombat arms will continue to follow the existing sex- and age-normed standards.
“Our combat arms MOSs require rigorous physical readiness for direct ground combat,” explained Marine Corps Col. James Derrick, director of the Training Standards Division at the Marine Corps Training and Education Command. “These changes ensure all combat arms Marines meet the same high sex-neutral standards.”
The service has also revisited its body composition evaluation process, which will incorporate existing height- and weight-based standards, along with a waist-to-height ratio.
New Navy Standards
The U.S. Navy also unveiled its new physical fitness assessment (PFA) last month, which will require sailors to undergo two PFAs each calendar year. The two cycles will be from January 1 to June 30, and then from July 1 to December 31. The tests are now more gender-neutral than in the previous PFA, including the waist-to-height ratio.
However, those who face the body composition assessment (BCA) may be eligible for a high-performance exemption if they achieve a high score on their PFA and on each of the three physical readiness tests (PRT), according to USNI News.
However, sailors who fail to meet the BCA or PRT will be required to participate in the service’s Fitness Enhancement Program. Sailors who fail three PFAs within four years will face administrative separation, including those with 18-20 years of service.
Sailors who are in combat arms billets, including SEALS and explosive ordnance disposal service members, are now required to take a PFA, but also a combat fitness assessment (CFA), which will include an 800-meter swim with fins, using any stroke, a one-mile run weighted with 20 pounds, and pushups.
Air Force and Space Force Standards
United States Air Force airmen and United States Space Force guardians are also seeing changes to their PFAs and the implementation timeline. The services, both part of the Department of the Air Force (DAF), have a shortened fitness diagnostic testing period that concludes at the end of June.
It includes an option for either a two-mile run or a 20-meter “High Aerobic Multi-shuttle Run” (HAMR), to be completed every six months.
“We care about the long-term health of our Airmen and that starts with physical fitness,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach. “The habits Airmen build by working out daily directly impact their quality of life in and out of uniform. I am confident our commanders will continue to implement a culture of fitness so our warfighters are healthy and ready.”
In addition to either the two-mile run or HAMR, service members in both the Air Force and Space Force will have to complete one minute of push-ups or two minutes of hand-release push-ups; one minute of sit-ups, two minutes of cross-leg reverse crunches, or a timed forearm plank. Airmen and guardians will also be subject to waist-to-height ratio measurements.
“PFA scores will be included in officer and enlisted performance briefs beginning in February 2026. The first groups to be affected by this change will be colonels in February 2026, then lieutenant colonels, majors, and chief master sergeants in May 2026. Senior airman EPBs closing out in March 2026 will not include PFA scores,” the Air Force added.
“Your physical health is important to us, not just as a readiness metric but as a human being as well,” Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David R. Wolfe said. “When you’re physically healthy, you are not only happier, but in a better position to excel at your job.”
Army Changes Came Last Year
As previously reported, the U.S. Army is the first branch of the military to announce the change, following calls from Secretary Pete Hegseth that the military should not have women in combat roles, arguing that it hasn’t made the military more effective or lethal. During his Senate confirmation hearings, Hegseth reaffirmed his views and, in March 2025, ordered a department-wide review of existing U.S. military standards for physical fitness.
Coast Guard Launched New Physical Readiness Program
Although the United States Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) during peacetime, it announced this month that it is launching the Physical Readiness Program (PRP). This service-wide readiness program mandates daily physical training, bi-annual physical fitness tests, and Body Composition (BC) compliance.
Active-duty and Selected Reserve (SELRES) members were required to complete a PFA by the end of last year, with 88% of the more than 37,000 members passing. A second PFA will be required by June 30, 2026, but performance was only to set a gauge for future PTFs.
Beginning on July 1, the RRP will enter a new phase in which members must meet established goals and be included in their evaluation and reports to influence promotions, advancement, and special assignments. Service members will be provided with four opportunities per week during duty hours to exercise.
“The Coast Guard is doubling down on fitness – not as an extra task, but as a fundamental part of who we are as a military service,” the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement. “Led by Commanding Officers, Officers in Charge, and the Chiefs’ Mess, the PRP will help ensure that every member has the time, tools, and support to build and maintain lifelong physical readiness.”
