GEORGETOWN, S.C. – U.S. Army Soldiers with the South Carolina National Guard conducted the new Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) in Georgetown, South Carolina, Feb. 9, 2019.
First Battalion, 178th Field Artillery (FA), 678th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, South Carolina National Guard was one of six battalions in the National Guard selected to test the pilot program for the new physical fitness test to help validate the scoring and administration of the test before being implemented Armywide, explained Command Sgt. Maj. Russ Vickery, South Carolina National Guard state command sergeant major.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Mark Anderson, Training and Doctrine Command deputy commanding general, visited South Carolina from Fort Eustis, Virginia to observe the execution of the ACFT by a National Guard unit.
“I get a chance to observe the challenges of implementing the ACFT in compo 2 [National Guard] and can inform leadership of any issues,” said Anderson.
He explained, senior leadership understand the overall challenges the National Guard and Reserve face in order to fully implement the new fitness test across the force and increasing their fitness-level to pass the test; however, he added, if Soldiers can train their entire body to this fitness-level, they will be safer at conducting their job duties.
“The overall intent is to provide a better indicator of overall fitness, while reducing injury rate for Soldiers…It is going to require a cultural shift at how we look at fitness,” said Anderson. “Over time, Soldiers will get more comfortable with the events and know what they need to do to pass the ACFT.”
He added, the fitness test is currently being fielded throughout the active duty, National Guard, and Reserve by different types of units made up of all Military Occupational Specialties and located in a range of weather conditions to test the practicality of training for the test year-round. Senior leadership is also discussing how to better implement training measures for traditional drilling Soldiers who may not have access to equipment to train throughout the month, he said.
Vickery explained, the South Carolina National Guard is working on procedures to mitigate this issue and help traditional drilling Soldiers have the tools they need to train for the test through the South Carolina National Guard mobile application.
“We have posted ‘workouts of the day’ in there that will help you prepare at home and away from the armories without equipment,” said Vickery. “There is also an ACFT calculator on the app that will give you an idea of what it will take for you to pass or max the ACFT.”
He added, the South Carolina National Guard is also currently working to field equipment to armories in the state to provide Soldiers with easier access to equipment to train on drill weekends, as well as during the rest of the month.
The new ACFT consists of a deadlift, standing power throw, hand release push ups, sprint-drag-carry, leg tuck and two mile run, where as the current Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) consists of push ups, sit ups, and a two mile run.
“The overall takeaway is the ACFT is about an 80 percent indicator of combat fitness and effectiveness, where the APFT is roughly a 20 percent indicator of combat fitness,” said Vickery. “The Soldiers of today and the future need to aspire to be ‘Warrior Athletes” not just be good at push ups, sit ups, and a two mile run.”