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The evidence base to support the ACFT is incomplete

• The Army has conducted research and gathered a wealth of evidence on the ACFT that demonstrates support for some, but not all, of the ACFT fitness events, and it is important that the Army address these gaps in the evidence base

ACFT scores collected by the Army during the diagnostic period show some groups failing at noticeably higher rates

• The biggest impacts are observed for women, but there also are differences in pass rates by age (with older soldiers passing at lower rates), across components (with the U.S. Army Reserve and the Army National Guard lagging behind the Regular Army), and across military occupational specialties and areas of concentration.
• Although these differences do not necessarily mean the test is flawed, they need to be investigated. It is also important for the Army to consider potential implications for personnel management that would result from high failure rates.

Research in multiple military settings has shown that training can improve pass rates

• The Army rolled out equipment force-wide, started training soldiers to improve performance on the ACFT, and provided access to Holistic Health and Fitness personnel and master fitness trainers.
• Research has shown that training programs have generally had a positive impact on enhancing soldier fitness, but more research is needed to better understand how training should be tailored to help soldiers at varying levels of initial fitness pass the ACFT.

The Army is introducing a new fitness test for the first time in more than 40 years. The six-event Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) is designed to (1) ensure soldiers are ready to perform combat tasks, (2) reduce preventable injuries, and (3) promote a culture of fitness throughout the Army.

In this report, the authors conduct an independent review of the ACFT and provide recommendations to support the Army's implementation decisions. The RAND research team undertook a multidimensional approach that involved (1) an evaluation of ACFT data gathered by the Army, (2) interviews and discussions with members of the workforce and subject-matter experts, and (3) a review and assessment of ACFT-relevant research, plans, policies, and other guidance.

The authors find that the Army's evidence base for the ACFT supports some, but not all, aspects of the test. In particular, some events have not been shown to predict combat task performance or reduce injuries, and justification is needed for why all fitness events and minimum standards apply equally to all soldiers. Relatedly, ACFT scores collected by the Army during the diagnostic phase show some groups failing at noticeably higher rates — the implications of which need to be investigated. Evidence suggests that scores and pass rates can improve with training and that soldiers want more access to the right training and equipment. To address these concerns and because it must continuously monitor the ACFT after its full-scale implementation, the Army should establish a permanent, institutionalized process for overseeing and refining the ACFT.

• Chapter One

  Introduction

• Chapter Two

  Evidence Base for ACFT Development and Validation

• Chapter Three

  Variation in ACFT 3.0 Pass Rates, Fitness Tier Cut Points, and Potential Impacts on the Workforce

• Chapter Four

  Evidence for Training and Implementation Alternatives to Increase ACFT 3.0 Pass Rates

• Chapter Five

  Conclusions and Recommendations

• Appendix A

  Diagnostic ACFT Data Sample Sizes and Proportion Tested, by Component

• Appendix B

  Details on Improving Validation of the ACFT

• Appendix C

  Physical Tasks Required of All Soldiers in Combat and a Resulting List of Fitness Event Predictors

• Appendix D

  Differential Prediction Analysis for ACFT Total Score and Individual Event Scores

• Appendix E

  Additional Findings on Pass Rates and Event Outcomes

• Appendix F

  Pass Rates Under Different Policy Options