Posted on Jun 25, 2016
Should PT standards be neutral across the board?
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With the integration of transgendered personnel into the military, should PT standards be redesigned, possibly even in a job specific sense, to have set standards across the board regardless of gender, and graded as pass/fail?
Fitness
Gender
Policy
Equality
Advancement
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 47
Suspended Profile
I'd be in favor of a baseline assessment of fitness common to all members regardless of biology or identity, with steeper requirements for physically demanding jobs, including combat arms but also some others. As far as accessions & promotions, the baseline assessment could be a simple pass/fail metric.
Working in IT for the last 15 years, I've become ambivalent about promoting someone who's a decent performer with a high fitness score over an outstanding performer whose fitness merely meets the standard. I'd rather have a staff of highly qualified networking gurus than a crew of fitness fiends. If I have both, great! But, the mission comes first.
Working in IT for the last 15 years, I've become ambivalent about promoting someone who's a decent performer with a high fitness score over an outstanding performer whose fitness merely meets the standard. I'd rather have a staff of highly qualified networking gurus than a crew of fitness fiends. If I have both, great! But, the mission comes first.
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PT is important but i think too much is given to the score a person gets. PT. Scores dont show that person's ability to do his/her job. Just because i max a PT test doesnt mean i know my job....and just because i fail a PT test doesnt mean that i am that i dont know my job. ...just a BROAD thought for a deeper discussion.
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I feel that no exceptions should be made for anyone who is part of the military, if we have to be PC, then let it be so.
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Leave the way they are, everyone should be abile to do what's asked.
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Rather than have pass fail tests that are implemented to determine retainability, implement mandatory daily/bi-daily sessions in each unit. Have minimum exercises/routines set in place that everyone is required to complete before the unit is released from PT (tailor time and amount of personnel present to unit operational requirements). Have tests at the unit level that determine the need for physical fitness intervention for specific members (separate standards for men and women). No fail would result in paperwork or discipline, just more PT for that individual. That's my thoughts. This way everyone is made to at least lead a healthy lifestyle regardless of gender or political nonsense.
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PFC (Join to see)
I'm not sure how the Air force does their physical training but the Army has pt every morning at 0630 until 0730 at the earliest with set plans in place for running and muscle endurance. We do this together according to company and you are made to push yourself as much as possible during these exercises. We also have a second pt session later in the day for APFT failures until they pass a pt test....so that plan you suggested it is a thing it's just apparently not a thing in the Air force.
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TSgt (Join to see)
PFC (Join to see) - Depends entirely on squadron leadership. our squadron does the same thing, and we have maybe one or two pt failures out of almost 200 people. Most of the Air Force doesn't do mandatory PT though, which honestly kinda ticks me off.
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PFC (Join to see)
TSgt (Join to see) - It's mandatory in the army...which is why you view physical standards differently than the branches who do pt every day because we're required to.
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Yes there should be one Minimum standard for each service regardless of any factors. Now some things like infantry very well should have additional standards for what they need to do but there should be one basic standard for each of the services.
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LTJG (Join to see)
I agree. In a war zone, you want to know that the person next to you, male or female, can and will drag you out of the fray if you go down. A minimum standard should be set that focuses on enhancing our operational readiness.
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I think they should have been gender neutral for along time in specific areas of fitness, mainly running, I believe regardless of gender any running part of the test should be the same, I have witnessed and seen many times that women can run a 1.5 in under 10min and many men struggling to finish under 13:30
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If in combat, which I never was nor ever will be--too old now--the men are going to be concerned about a female in their outfit-even she can do more pushups etc.--it does not take a rocket scientist to know what will happen to a female POW--in the support ranks AOK-- not in combat where they might be captured--the PT should be the same for females as well as males--if they want parity then do the work--
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