and the term 'gender neutral' in this case is not a "woke" negative thing
since the late 80's, females were gradually phased into more and more MOS'/AFSC in all the services
the army was looking at opening up armor and artillery and combat aviation (As well as naval,marine and combat air pilots) long before Obama was president, in fact several artillery jobs- including mine, were opened to females in the the early 90's based on decisions made under pres bush the 1st
my job, even before i joined, had female soldiers in it for a short time when the army had pershing and nuke capable lance missile units--they required surveyors, and both of these units were so far behind lines that the job was opned to them. i had one female ait instructor who was in the process of changing her MOS
the current official army phys fit test (pushups, situp,2 mile run) is FAR from being adequate to assess one's physical capability in combat
a test based on phys capability centered around both mos and combat skills was long in the making. however, previous versions were turned down as being un realistic. 20 years of combat as given the military plenty of real world scenarios to draw from and from which, this new test is based on
carrying heavy ammo, 5 gal water or fuel cans, dragging a buddy while on the ground yourself/ "fireman
s carry" while standing and other skills were seen as being the most needed. to that were added strength tests built around the push up and dead lift of certain weight BASED ON MOS and NOT gender or age like the current APFT is
this is the best way to assess the strengths of persons, male or female, to see if they can perform both their mos and soldiers combat tasks
the only categories for performance outcomes are by one's MOS.. ex: an infantry soldier or a cannon crew member is in the heaviest category- meaning they have to perform to the minimum standard of the highest weight/rep or time. a admin soldier is in the lowest
this test is not yet being used to determine if one can or cannot be in any certain job or have to change jobs. it is still in its phase in time and the soldiers having the hardest time with it are, OF COURSE- Reservists and Guardsman
last i read, the army was considering using the test only for mos qualification and NOT for enlistment or retention purposes. so if you failed this test you can stay in so long as you pass the old pu/su/2 mile run apft
this test should only be used for assessments, not for promotions or re-enlistments, use the standard apft for that
IMO, the new test should only be used as an assessment tool to show leaders just where and how much more training is needed. the majority of both the male and female failures in the active army, is in the non combat/ less physically demanding MOS's.
But, to your point on gender,
@Overmind One , many females HAVE passed both the army infantry trng-and every other MOS in the army- to the same standards that men are held to. they have also passed this new test as well. its the bureaucrats and politicians who are concerned with the numbers
www.nzherald.co.nz
