The U. S. Army Future Concept for the Human Dimension

4-2. Challenges to Adapting to the Future OE

Joint and Army concepts call for a very adaptive future Modular Force. Such concepts as operational maneuver from strategic distances could find Soldiers stationed in the Arctic climate of Alaska on one day deploying the next day to a desert or jungle environment. With no time to acclimate, Soldiers must be in top physical condition to be able to function in such extreme conditions. Temperatures topping 125 degrees Fahrenheit in Iraq are common and Soldiers outfitted in full body armor cannot escape the heat. The JOE will create many demands, but the anticipated pace of future operations in persistent conflict will tax Soldier’s endurance much as combat operations have always challenged the military.

Physical fitness remains one of the key inputs to overall unit readiness. Recent combat experience continues to demonstrate the role physical fitness plays in alleviating combat stress. Whether it is building individual confidence, preparing Soldiers for combat operations, or providing a source of decompression, physical fitness programs must remain a centerpiece of unit training programs.

The future Modular Force will see a shift in the role of physical fitness programs from training to meet test standards to developing Soldier-athletes. A Soldier-athlete is someone who is holistically fit—physically ready, nutritionally sound, mentally strong, and confident in their own abilities and in those of the members of the team. Developing a Soldier-athlete requires not only a change in training techniques and assessment tools, but also in how Army leaders plan, direct, and participate in fitness training. Rather than focusing on assessment and easily measured fitness results, leaders must take into account the individual Soldier’s goals and needs while continuing to focus on the unit’s mission of maintaining combat readiness.

4-3. Why Change is Necessary

Persistent conflict will place physical and psychological demands on our Soldiers that our current training methods will not meet. This assertion assumes an OPTEMPO that is at least as demanding as today’s tempo and a complexity of operations that will be even more demanding. Consequently, the Army must develop a programmed approach to physical training. Future physical training must focus more on performance of specific military duties rather than on universal fitness standards. The challenge is not just to improve Soldier performance, but rather to tailor fitness efforts to specific physical performance requirements. Future physical fitness assessment and training techniques must have parity with other training. Leaders should not have to choose between fitness and tactical and technical proficiency.

Physical Fitness Evaluation Prior to Enlistment
Currently, Army recruiters and the U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command review a candidate’s medical history to identify current or past behaviors or injuries to determine whether an individual is a risk for completing their initial military enlistment. In the future, this evaluation can align a Soldier’s physical abilities with those attributes required of a military occupational specialty (MOS), focusing on the Soldier’s potential rather than current fitness. This will help in designing physical training programs in initial training to build on Soldier abilities.

Physical fitness training programs for deployed or deploying units in support of ongoing combat operations should be based on the most physically demanding tasks from the unit’s METL.

- AR 350-1

Prior to enlistment, the Army will utilize an initial assessment tool similar to the current cadet fitness challenge. This assessment addresses physical fitness through tests of work capacity, cardio-respiratory fitness, muscular strength, and flexibility. The assessment covers five broad sections including cardiovascular (aerobic) fitness, cardiovascular (high intensity) fitness, upper body muscular fitness, lower body and shoulder/midsection muscular fitness, and flexibility. The score scales are criterion referenced and gender-based.
The assessment of physical fitness focuses on physical performance, body composition, and aligning the potential recruit to appropriate MOSs. Implementation of successful pre-enlistment physical evaluation is one component of an on-going and continuous physical training regime from IMT, to the first assignment and throughout the Soldier’s career.
Physical Fitness after Initial Military Training (IMT)
Adapting physical fitness training during IMT allows Soldiers to increase their fitness without compromising standards. Recognizing that training cannot transform the average recruit into an athlete in a few short weeks, the Army must continue to establish assessment goals that ensure Soldiers can achieve satisfactory performance and, more importantly, demonstrate the potential for continued improvement.
Once Soldiers complete their initial training, unit led fitness programs continue to develop the Soldier with emphasis on the unit tasks and the particular demands of the individual’s position in the unit. To monitor and insure Soldiers’ health and fitness, the Army will continue to require a health risk assessment that evaluates not only aerobic and anaerobic fitness, but also flexibility and body fat composition. Future health risk assessment may include automated medical record reviews, remote vital signs measurement systems, and other diagnostic tools, but the purpose will remain to monitor health and fitness individually and, by extension, collectively. After that generic assessment, further evaluation will determine the fitness required to fulfill a Soldier’s individual wartime mission. Unit physical fitness training will need improved assessment techniques that focus on the ability of Solders to perform their MOS while deployed. This assessment process will provide the Soldier and his or her leadership with a profile of those areas requiring future attention thus enabling a tailored training approach not unlike the personal trainer model used in modern gyms.
Army fitness programs must also address Soldiers with special requirements. This includes those injured or wounded in training or combat. The unit fitness trainer, in conjunction with medical personnel will develop individualized training regimes that address the needs of these Soldiers.
The Army must tailor fitness programs for the U.S. Army National Guard and the U.S Army Reserve just as those for active duty Soldiers to the unit’s mission and the specific requirements of each MOS. The challenge the reserve component faces is not likely to change. National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers must have a well established physical fitness training program that capitalizes on both periods of active service and opportunities to maintain combat readiness the rest of the time. The adaptive training programs discussed below as well as improved access to military or civilian fitness centers offer some solutions. Strong leadership and individual motivation is particularly critical to reserve component physical fitness.