Air Force PT revisions taking shape amid effort to ‘revive warrior ethos’ in service

ZADE VADNAIS 

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The Air Force is preparing major changes to its physical fitness assessments, according to its top enlisted member. An internal message posted on social media Monday from Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi says the service is “likely going to” implement biannual testing for all airmen, bring back waist measurements to assess body composition and replace the 1.5-mile run with a 2-mile version. The authenticity of the message was confirmed by a Flosi representative, but officials declined to say whether the specific changes it mentions will in fact be implemented. 

The service is finalizing updates to its physical training policies as part of efforts to “revive warrior ethos,” an Air Force spokesperson said in response to questions. 

The current fitness assessment includes a cardiovascular component — either a 1.5-mile run or a 20-meter shuttle run introduced in 2022 — along with pushups and situps or approved alternatives. Airmen who score 90 or higher out of a possible 100 points are currently allowed to test just once per year, a policy introduced in 2010 as an incentive for high performers. That exemption is expected to be eliminated under the new guidance. 

The updates also aim to correct pandemic-era policies that did not adequately prepare airmen for operational demands, according to the spokesperson. An airman measures his waist in Sioux City, 

Iowa, on Jan. 11, 2024. Reintroduction of the waist measurement component is one of the likely changes to the Air Force's physical training standards listed in a leaked memo from Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi. (Tylon Chapman/U.S. Air Force) In 2020, amid COVID-19 restrictions, the Air Force removed waist circumference as a scored component of the fitness test and moved it to a standalone body composition program. At the time, officials said the change was permanent. Since then, airmen have been required to schedule a separate waist measurement during their birth month in addition to completing their fitness assessments.