Fitness Cult? An Army Officer Responds to ACFT Critiques

In my humble E4 Mafia opinion, I am not in the top tier of PT scores in my unit, I'll be the first to admit that. But I will own up to the fact that my body feels better after a good PT session, my mind feels sharper, my whole attitude changes after a good PT session. I also notice after a "bad" or "stupid" PT session that a lot more people talk through the day which in itself is actually creating better unit cohesion. The PT standards might not relate to all jobs, or be very practical in combat (if i find myself doing situps or pushups in the battle field then its my time to go :D) but i do think it goes beyond what a lot of people assume or see.
The new ACFT i believe does a better job at being closer to combat realistic, but it could always be better. It makes it something you have to train for, which is actually going to limit injuries and increase our ability to be a fighting force.
Now I would also argue that some of the height and weight standards are a bit off. They have not been updated in Decades...I'm 68 inches, 200 lbs. which is 21 lbs over what the Army says i should be. I personally do pt for an hour, I also do my own exercising in the off time and have a pretty strict diet, I am just a naturally bulky guy. That being said I believe if you do your job, if you do your PT test or ACFT and pass, and are REASONABLY in shape then it shouldnt be as big an issue. I do have an issue with the people who eat themselves big and struggle to walk around, and magically get hurt and put on profile where they get bigger and bigger, but I digress.
I guess my main point is its not so much a fitness cult, as much as it is a job requirement, if you can not and do not meet the ACFT or PT standards, and dont want to workout every day, then dont sign up. PT is integral in building a unit that can and will be able to accomplish the mission if we go to war.

One huge problem the military has across the board is understanding occupations that have no garrison mission and those that do and it directly relates. Combat Arms has really no other mission in garrison but to train for war. PT, ruck marches, range, land nav, etc. MPs, medical, legal, and others have very similar missions in garrison as do down range. When I was in Korea, we reported for PT 1630 and then worked 1900-0700 to take care of the ill and injured. MPs for day shift report to draw weapons some places as early as 0430 and work until 1600, five days a week. Many MOS are based on duty days, most of my career has been based on hours, 80 or 84 every two weeks. The Army I am in just does not realize this and most of the people that can PT for hours don't have a real mission in garrison for 12hrs a day.

The way I see it, there are three schools of thought when it comes to military physical readiness.

I'll call the first, "The Least Common Denominator" school-This train of thought is dominated by the notion that you're only as strong as your weakest link. In essence; the force is limited by the maximum effort of the minimum performers. The single biggest problem with this school of thought is that it is unrealistic. Naturally, the components of any branch encountering greater physical challenges will demand more from their personnel than those functioning in less physical roles, and vice versa.

The second is what I call the "Tier School"-This one teaches that it really doesn't matter if a clerk typist can grind out 200 pushups...so long as an Infantryman can do 100. It depends upon linking physical fitness with job description. In some ways, it makes "sense", but its greatest weakness is that in encourages such a divide in "culture"...you honestly end up with several different forces contained within one.

The third is what I like to think of as the "Holistic Method" school. This is my personal fav, as it seeks to elevate the standards of all towards a "common" core physical ethos, while accepting that the higher "tiers" will naturally and organically progress beyond this standard. Acing an ACFT doesn't make one the equal of a Ranger...but if that basic, core fitness test incorporates many of the building blocks of what comprises a professional "warfighter" physicality...you begin to build a commonality among your "raw" material.