White House Petition – Stop implementation of the Army Combat Fitness Test
A few weeks ago an individual by the name of R. W. Petitioned the White house to step in and block implementation of the New Army Combat Fitness Test.
The petition is currently posted on the White House petition site located at www.whitehouse.gov.
The ACFT petition as written states:
The $20 million+ equipment cost of the Army Combat Fitness Test, which will be mandatory as of October 2020, is an unnecessary waste of money. Some ACFT events are unrelated to fitness for combat and prone to causing injuries. The ACFT makes no allowances for gender, age or previous injuries. The value of senior Soldiers is in their knowledge and experience, not their physical fitness. The ACFT will end careers of Soldiers with medical waivers (profiles) who otherwise would be able to continue to serve and is likely to cause many injuries that will increase veteran health care costs. At a minimum, it should be phased in over time with those currently serving permitted to take the current Army Physical Fitness Test for the remainder of their careers and profiles should be allowed.
Those desiring to sign or view the petition can view it on https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/.
As White house petitions need 100,000 signatures within a one month period to get a response it is very unlikely that this petition, as written, will receive any traction. However, it is an indication of a growing concern with the Army gender and age neutral Combat Fitness Test.
