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New CFT to simulate battlefield demands

Pull-ups, abdominal crunches and three-mile runs are pretty good indicators of fitness. But the long-standing Physical Fitness Test is more track and field than battlefield. Marines often train for the test itself, not the real tests that come later.

So the Corps is finalizing plans for a new Combat Fitness Test that will simulate the stresses, strains and sometimes urgent demands of missions downrange.

While the PFT — essentially unchanged since 1972 — measures upper-body strength and aerobic endurance, the new test aims to assess broader, real-life skills.

“It’s looking at burst speed and anaerobic ability,” said Lt. Col. John Armellino, one of the Marines helping to develop the new CFT for Training and Education Command in Quantico, Va. “The commandant wanted to develop a better measure of overall fitness, to better prepare the Marines for combat.”

The all-new CFT

The details and scoring requirements of the CFT remain tentative until formally approved by Commandant Gen. James Conway in the coming weeks, Corps officials said. But unless Conway makes drastic changes to the proposal, then starting later this year — possibly as early as June — every Marine is expected to be taking the CFT twice a year. It’s not unlike the existing PFT plan, which will remain unchanged.

Unlike the PFT, however, the CFT will likely be a pass-fail test, but a tiered scoring system is under consideration.

The test is separated into three parts:

* The 880-yard sprint. Designed to simulate “movement to contact,” Marines will be timed running in a straight line. How difficult is it? Think of it as a half-mile run. To put it into Olympic terms, that’s roughly two laps around a standard outdoor track, 800 meters. World records in the 800-meter sprint come in at less than two minutes for men and women.

* The “ammo can lift.” Marines will lift a 30-pound ammunition box from a starting position of chest level to above the head with both arms extended. Need a weight comparison? A Modular Tactical Vest, loaded with front, back and side plates, weighs about 25 pounds. Marines will repeat the lift for a set time period, likely two minutes. Scores are based on the number of lifts performed in that set time period, but the scoring system is not yet approved.

* The “maneuver under fire” drill. The most comprehensive section of the CFT will be a four-part obstacle course that will include sprinting, throwing a grenade, running with two ammo cans and moving a mock casualty.

Marines will be given time to recover between each of the three parts, and will not have to wear body armor during the test, Armellino said. While body armor was once considered as a requirement, the test’s designers are recommending to Conway that Marines take the test in cammies. Knee pads or other forms of protection will be optional.

Marines will not have to take the new CFT on the same day as the PFT, originally a possibility, likely changed to prevent PFT times from falling.

If Marines fail the CFT, they’ll get no second chance. The failure will be recorded, and the Marine can try again six months later, Armellino said. The scoring thresholds will likely vary depending on age and gender, similar to the scoring system for the PFT.

Failing the CFT will be a blot on a Marine’s record, just like failing the PFT. In addition, the Enlisted Promotions Manual is under revision to require passage of the CFT. That means even if a Marine is selected for promotion, he will have to pass the test before pinning on the new rank, said Master Sgt. Anita Robertson, staff noncommissioned officer in charge for enlisted promotions.

Col. Brian McGuire, the officer in charge of developing the CFT, has traveled to several Marine bases to conduct trial runs of the new test on about 2,300 Marines. He’s collected data on Marines’ performance that will help Conway and other senior leaders determine a final scoring system.

The CFT is part of Conway’s renewed emphasis on fitness and appearance. It will become mandatory about the same time as the Corps’ new body fat program — which eliminates the break Marines now receive for scoring a first-class PFT while adding new age-based standards that allow leathernecks to put on a few pounds as they get older.

The cumulative effect of the new fitness test, new body fat standards — and stepped-up enforcement efforts — may give commanders and promotion boards more insight into individual Marines’ fitness levels. That can be good news for some, bad news for others.

Either way, the new test and standards will likely affect promotions, assignments and re-enlistment prospects.

Getting ready

Before Marines begin officially taking the test, the Semper Fit and Marine Corps Martial Arts programs will offer training and guidance on how Marines can prepare for the test. That will include instruction on training in garrison, where well-equipped fitness centers are available, as well as training plans for more austere environments, such as the Iraqi desert.

“Extra [physical training] time isn’t going to be necessary. But Marines should re-engineer their own fitness routines for greater benefit,” McGuire said.

For example, interval training — quick sprints mixed in with brief cool-down exercises — will better help Marines prepare for the intense, anaerobic demands of the CFT. The latest fitness research suggests that shorter, more-intense bursts of exercise are a better form of conditioning than long-range, low-impact endurance training, McGuire said.

“We see Marines starting to incorporate this into their training. The value in the CFT isn’t necessarily in the test itself, but the value is in preparing for it and incorporating these elements into their combat conditioning,” McGuire said.

During preliminary testing in recent months, the second part of the CFT — requiring the repeated lift of the ammo can — proved to be “a surprise to some Marines,” McGuire said..

“They looked at 30 pounds and they think, ‘This isn’t a fully loaded-up bar.’ But doing it for two minutes is a challenge that some Marines aren’t familiar with,” McGuire said. “Lifting something might seem light, but over time, it becomes heavy.”

Some older Marines actually scored better on the ammo can lift than their younger counterparts, suggesting that not all aspects of fitness decline with age, McGuire said.

The details of the new CFT are spreading slowly. At Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Ga., a group of senior Marines staged a demonstration for the entire base to see what to expect, said Sgt. Maj. Randall Kennedy, the base sergeant major.

“It was an eye-opener for the Marines in the crowd to see some of the better athletes in the unit be challenged. I think it will encourage them to use these next few months to get serious about it so they don’t find themselves in an embarrassing situation,” Kennedy said.

“It’s a good thing. It takes into consideration those things that we’re required to do as Marines in a field environment, where we’re out there doing what we ultimately get paid to do,” Kennedy said.

“I might be able to run fast and straight in my running shoes. But when I’m saddled with a load, I might not be the go-to person. Then again, I might not be the fastest one in my go-fasts, but when I get my pack on, I’m going to get my nose down and get the job done.”