Military Fitness Standards - Secretary of War memorandum

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1000 DEFENSE PENTAGON

WASHINGTON, DC 20301-1000

SEP 30 2025

MEMORANDUM FOR

SENIOR PENTAGON LEADERSHIP
COMMANDERS OF THE COMBATANT COMMANDS
DEPARTMENT OF WAR AGENCY AND DOW FIELD ACTIVITY DIRECTORS

SUBJECT: Military Fitness Standards

As I stated in my initial message to the Force, “Our standards will be high, uncompromising, and clear.”

To ensure the lethality and readiness of America’s fighting Force, military leaders at all levels must ensure our Warfighters are prepared to meet the demanding requirements of combat by enforcing standards and leading by example.

Our military’s discipline and excellence are what sets it above others across the globe.

My goal is unmistakable: our core fighting formations must not just meet the standard — they must embody it.

We need high, uncompromising, sex-neutral standards rooted in combat effectiveness.

Every warfighter must be held to the same rigorous expectations.

This directive outlines immediate actions to ensure every warfighter meets the physical and professional demands of combat, for which every Service member must be prepared.

These requirements are not optional — they are foundational to our lethality and readiness.

Fitness Testing Requirements

Active Component Service members will execute two fitness tests annually:

One will be the existing Service Fitness Test.
The second will be:
- A Combat Field Test for combat arms personnel (see attached list).
- A Combat Readiness Test for non-combat arms personnel or the Service Fitness Test.
Service members will perform physical fitness training every duty day.

National Guard and Reserve Component members will:

Take personal responsibility to maintain an appropriate physical fitness regimen, regardless of duty status.
Complete one fitness test annually, aligned to their combat or non-combat arms designation.

Each Military Department will verify and validate its Combat Field Test within 60 days and submit an execution plan for National Guard and Reserve Component implementation.

Regardless of Component, failure to meet established standards may be used to withhold favorable personnel actions, to include denied promotions, and administrative separation in accordance with standing regulations.

Fitness Testing Matrix

The following matrix outlines the specific fitness test requirements for combat arms and non-combat arms personnel.

It is designed to clarify which evaluations apply to each category of Service member and ensure consistent enforcement across the Joint Force.

Test Type	Combat Arms Personnel	Non-Combat Arms Personnel
Service Fitness Test	Sex-neutral; age-normed (simplified); male-standard; must achieve 70% average across all elements	Sex-normed, age-normed
Combat Field Test	Required: Service-determined standards; must be executable in any environment, at any time, with combat equipment	Not applicable
Combat Readiness Test	Not applicable	Required; but may be substituted with the Service Fitness Test; must be executable in any environment, at any time, with combat equipment as appropriate

For example, Army Expert Physical Fitness Assessment or Marine Corps Combat Fitness Test

Body Composition

Each Military Department will align with medically validated, streamlined approaches — using height and waist circumference method — to promote consistency and fairness across the Joint Force.

The Military Departments will ensure that Service members are evaluated twice per year.

Within 60 days, the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Personnel and Readiness will publish additional guidance on the height and waist standards that will take effect during the next calendar year.

High performers on fitness tests may be granted exemptions, but only within defined limits.

High performance does not excuse non-compliance with body composition standards.

Members exceeding body composition limits will be placed in remedial programs; those not demonstrating adequate progress will be subject to administrative measures to include processing for administrative separation.

Leadership and Enforcement

To uphold these standards across the Force, leadership must be both entrusted to lead and accountable for failure.

The following actions are required to ensure consistent enforcement and transparency at every level:

Standards must be clearly communicated across the Force to set high expectations.
Leaders at all levels are expected and empowered to enforce standards consistently.
Standards left unenforced are not truly standards.
Leaders will be held accountable if physical fitness and body composition standards are not enforced within their units.

Each Military Service will establish or enhance electronic training records to ensure:

Performance outcomes, including scores — not just pass/fail — are recorded and reflected in fitness reports and evaluations.
Individual physical training requirements are documented and visible to each Service member.
Regular evaluations of the electronic training records are conducted to assess compliance.

Our Warfighters must always demonstrate the highest standards of physical fitness and combat readiness.

Where expectations are not met, we must choose quality over quantity and lethality over complacency.

Fitness should be regarded with the same seriousness as Professional Military Education.

Fitness is not a check box — it is a core competency, as vital as Professional Military Education.

Every Military Unit and individual Service member must strive to exceed the standard, not settle for it.

If someone consistently treats the bare minimum as their standard, then they are not a fit for our fighting Force.

The American people expect nothing less — and we must deliver.

Attachment: Combat Arms Occupations

Army

Navy

113X — Sea, Air, Land Officer
114X — Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer
1190 — Explosive Ordnance Disposal Candidate
6480 — Explosive Ordnance Disposal Limited Duty Officer
715X — Chief Warrant Officer Sea, Air, Land
717X — Chief Warrant Officer Special Warfare Combat Crewman
720X — Chief Warrant Officer Diving Officer
M00A — Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Apprentice
M02A — Basic Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician
M03A — Senior Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician
M04X — Master Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician
M1DV — Diver First Class
M2DV — Diver Second Class
MMDV — Master Diver
O20A — Special Operator Candidate
O23X — Sea, Air, Land Delivery Vehicle Operator
O26X — Sea, Air, Land Operator
O50A — Special Warfare Boat Operator Candidate
O52X — Special Warfare Combat Crewman/Boat Operator

Marine Corps

0302 — Infantry Officer
0306 — Infantry Weapons Officer
0311 — Rifleman
0313 — Light-Armored Reconnaissance Marine
0321 — Reconnaissance Marine
0331 — Machine Gunner
0341 — Mortarman
0352 — Antitank Missile Gunner
0363 — Light-Armored Reconnaissance Unit Leader
0369 — Infantry Unit Leader
0370 — Marine Raider Officer
0372 — Marine Raider
0393 — Light-Armored Reconnaissance Operations Chief
0399 — Operations Chief
0802 — Field Artillery Officer
0803 — Target Acquisition Officer
0811 — Field Artillery Cannoneer
0842 — Field Artillery Radar Operator
0844 — Field Artillery Fire Control Marine
0847 — Field Artillery Sensor Support Marine
0848 — Field Artillery Operations Chief
0861 — Fire Support Marine
0869 — Artillery Unit Leader
0871 — Joint Fires and Effects Integrator
1302 — Combat Engineer Officer
1371 — Combat Engineer
1803 — Assault Amphibian Officer
1833 — Assault Amphibious Vehicle Crewmember
1834 — Amphibious Combat Vehicle Crewmember
2305 — Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer
2336 — Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician
2339 — Marine Explosive Ordnance Disposal Diver

Air Force

19ZXA — Special Tactics Officer
19ZXB — Tactical Air Control Party Officer
19ZXC — Combat Rescue Officer
1Z1X1 — Pararescue
1Z2X1 — Combat Control
1Z3X1 — Tactical Air Control Party
1Z4X1 — Special Reconnaissance
3E8X1 — Explosive Ordnance Disposal