The Coast Guard is ending years of debate over whether it should require all members to take a physical fitness test, or PFT, announcing Tuesday that it will implement mandatory tests for all military personnel starting next year.
In a service-wide message, Deputy Commandant for Personnel Rear Adm. Charles Fosse said all members must complete an initial physical fitness assessment by Dec. 31 based on the Coast Guard’s boat crew physical fitness standards to prepare for the required PFT in 2026.
The Coast Guard, the only armed service housed outside the Defense Department, is also the only military arm not to require a PFT for all members. Personnel are required to pass a physical test during boot camp or officer training, but only those with physically demanding missions – such as boat crews, rescue swimmers, law enforcement personnel and specialty units – have had to meet fitness standards.
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According to data cited by former Coast Guard member Zach Reuther in the Naval Institute’s Proceedings, that translates into only 25% of Coasties being required to take a PFT.
But that’s about to change. According to Fosse, by the end of the year, commanders will conduct unit-wide physical fitness assessments based on the boat crew standards, which were updated this May.
The boat crew test calls for planks, pushups and a 1.5-mile run with an option to substitute a 2,000-meter row or 12-minute swim instead of a run, with time or distance requirements for various age groups.
Unit commanders will conduct the testing according to the Boat Forces Physical Fitness Guide and resources available on the Coast Guard’s internal website under “Physical Fitness Assessment CY 25,” according to the announcement.
Officials have contemplated introducing a service-wide PFT for decades, particularly in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks when the Coast Guard established units such as the Deployable Operations Group, which required high physical standards for members.
Increased operations and new deployment demands across the service sparked discussion on whether it should monitor members’ athletic fitness.
But cost, the impact on retention, lack of medical support personnel and, more recently, effect on recruiting prevented any movement toward adoption.
The new requirement was created by the service’s Force Design 2028, a plan to overhaul the Coast Guard with a goal to improve operations, acquisitions and information technology and streamline its structure. The plan, introduced in May, calls for increasing the size of the force by 15,000 and fully manning operational units.
Until now, the service has relied on body standards and measurements to monitor members’ health. Since 2021, members have undergone semiannual screenings that include either a tape test that measures various parts of the body or an abdominal circumference standard to monitor their health risks.
The abdominal assessment was added because the tape tests often resulted in failure of standards by athletes with thick necks, broad hips or higher body fat ratios. According to the Coast Guard, women were three times more likely to fail the standard tape assessment than men, so the abdominal measurement was introduced as an optional method for meeting standards, as was an allowance that any Coast Guard member be offered the boat crew PFT if they failed the tape test or the abdominal measurement.
The service began reviewing its weight and physical standards in 2019 to determine whether they were biased against women. At the time, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz said the service needed to recruit and retain a diverse workforce.
The adoption of the abdominal measurement and PFT options to meet physical standards was a result of that review.
According to the Coast Guard message 372/25, the new assessment will be conducted by all military members who are not medically restricted from physical exercises, and all participants must complete a body composition pre-screening to take the PFT.
If they have concerns about safely participating, they are to consult their primary care manager or medical officer.
The results will be recorded and tracked at the unit level for assessment purposes by leadership, but performance data will not include personal information. Members are “highly encouraged,” though, to know their scores so they can “leverage their individual baseline results” to ensure that they meet next year’s mandatory PFT, according to the message.
Lt. Cmdr. Steve Roth, the service’s chief of media relations, said Wednesday that the implementation marks a “significant step” in enhancing the service’s capabilities.
“As members of the joint force, overall readiness starts with personal readiness. Our Coast Guard men and women have always been, and will always be, our greatest asset. This assessment, along with an increased emphasis on physical fitness, is an investment in their well-being and their ability to effectively execute our vital missions and remain ready to meet the evolving challenges of the 21st century,” Roth said in an email.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with a comment from the Coast Guard.
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