Do you agree with gender norming the standards of military physical fitness tests?

First, as a male Soldier and Senior NCO, please get away from the false paradigm that you have to be the best PT stud in your platoon to set the example. For years now, the officer corps as well as many NCOs have mistaken setting the example for being the best. Although if you are the best that is great, but there is more to setting the example than score. Think about being on time of physical training, giving 100% even when weather conditions are not the best, staying motivated even through the most grueling physical fitness events, helping the Soldiers who are not as physically fit as you are, going back and getting that falling comrade on the APFT run or motivated your Soldiers to give one more push up or sit up, and lastly, just being a part of the team. It does you no good to stud up while you have a Soldier who fails or does not perform well. Now onto the queston. I think that keeping the APFT standards separated by gender based on the physiological differences between the two sexes. It has been proven that the average man has the "potential" to possess more upper body mucles which gives them the ability to lift more weight. Average males also have larger lung capacity than women, which gives them the potential to run farther and faster. Likewise women are naturally built to have more core muscle and possibly have an advantage with sit up. So for the APFT, I think the standards should be gender separate and based on physical fitness from average to elite and score likewise. It is not a contest between the two genders. Now when it comes to things like Ranger School, Special Forces, Airborne Training, tank crew member, mortar team member, I think the Gender Norming would be a total mistake. For instance, if the standard is to carry a fallen comrade of 180 pounds 50 meters, that is the standard that should be met by both sexes. Or the ability to carry a Mortar base plate, artillery round, etc. When I came in the Army, the requirement was to lift a 60 pound radio, regardless of Gender. So APFT score should be separate from functional ability. Gender Norming in the APFT should not be an issue, however, in funtional ability, there should be one standard, which is the standard to get the task completed. To other points you brought up. The military, specifically the Army has made mistake after mistake of not balancing physical ability with technical and tactical ability. I have seen many leaders praise the PT stud only to find out he or she was worthless outside the PT field. Do your best and continue to excel at physical fitness, but don't let any leader fool you that as a female, you are expected to outstud any Soldier, male or female. I have watched many young female as well as male officers get caught up in that mentality and end up injuring themselves and cutting their careers short. Give your best and motivate your Soldiers to do their best. hopefully this was not too much of a bable.

You are asking a double edged question. On one hand, if we are going to open up combat MOSs to females, they need to be able to perform at the same levels as the males. Female APFT standards are not going to cut it in the infantry. On the other hand, there are real physiological differences between males and females. Males simply carry more muscle mass and have more cardiovascular reserve that allows males to have more strength and endurance and perform at a much higher physical level than females. That is a product of testosterone which males simply have more of. So in the end we have to balance what is fair to ask of females against what it takes to successfully complete the mission...and sometimes the answer to that question is not politically correct. IMHO, if we are going to open combat MOSs to females, females in those positions need to be held to male standards.

This is a good topic. It brings up many good points. What I am about to say may be somewhat inflammatory to some. But it is what it is. We are not all the same in a sense of our physical duties. A Cannon Crew have to be able to move 155 mm rounds. The APFT does a horrible job accessing ones ability to go that. In other units such as the 10th MTN were mountaineering is taught the APFT fails to correlate any strength requirements. Some jobs are more physical. That doesn't mean we should lower the regular standard for everyone but some CMFs should have another means to gauge this.

If you say we have "One Standard" you are fooling yourself. We don't. We have 10 different standards depending on age and sex. So don't try to say there is one standard. Now with what CPT (Join to see) is saying I totaling. How could you be a leader when she is held to a completely different standard. They are all doing the same job. Women can do it. They did it for Ranger. We shouldn't think of them as the weaker sex. We are doing a disservice to them.

In addition, I would get rid of the push ups and get pull ups. They are the great equalizer and you can't cheat on them as easily as you can on push ups.