WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth slammed “fat generals” and diversity initiatives that he said led to decades of decay in the military and told a rare gathering of commanders on Tuesday they should resign if they don’t support his agenda.
Hegseth criticized the look of overweight troops, saying: “It’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon.”
Often the testing standards are calibrated to be “age-normed” where performance is adjusted for different age groups. One example is that in some tests run times are longer for older participants.
The United States Armed Forces maintain distinct physical fitness standards across its service branches, reflecting each force’s unique operational demands. As of 2025, requirements vary significantly between the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force.
U.S. ARMY
The U.S. Army officially adopted the Army Fitness Test (AFT) as its test of record starting June 1, 2025, replacing the Army Combat Fitness Test. The AFT consists of five events: deadlifting, push-ups, sprinting while dragging a weight, abdominal plank, and two-mile run.
Active-duty soldiers in 21 designated combat specialties must additionally meet the more rigorous fitness standard.
U.S. NAVY
The Navy physical readiness test consists of push-ups, forearm plank, and an endurance event like swimming or running.
U.S. AIR FORCE
The Air Force physical fitness test has three main components besides a waist-to-height ratio: a 1.5-mile run, sit-ups and push-ups. There are more stringent requirements for combat positions.
In 2026, Airmen will begin taking physical fitness assessments every six months, including a two-mile run test every year, with the run counting for 50 percent of the total score.
U.S. SPACE FORCE
When the Space Force started in 2019, it relied on U.S. Air Force physical fitness standards which included push-ups, a 1.5-mile run and planking. According to a Space Force website early in 2020, the Space Force began the development of a service-specific human performance capability for its Guardians — the Holistic Health Approach, which consists of continuous fitness, performance health optimization and capacity-building.”
(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama )
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