Men and women in 21 combat military occupational specialties will have to meet the same standards on the U.S. Army fitness test starting Jan. 1, The Washington Post reported.
The move follows an order by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to eliminate gender-based fitness requirements in frontline roles.
"The five-event AFT is designed to enhance Soldier fitness, improve warfighting readiness, and increase the lethality of the force," the Army said in a press release.
The Army will begin rolling out the changes on June 1 with full implementation on Jan. 1. Changes will take effect for the Army Reserve and National Guard on June 1, 2026.
Under the new guidelines, men and women between 17 and 21 who serve in combat military occupational specialties will have to deadlift at least 140 pounds. Women will also have to complete the sprint-drag-carry event in less than 2 minutes and 28 seconds, nearly one minute faster than the current requirement.
Hegseth in March directed services to develop "sex neutral" physical standards for service members who directly participate in ground combat.
"It seems like a sudden change, but we review our fitness standards and our tests every three to five years," Army spokesman Matthew Ahearn said.
Many occupational assessments within the military are already sex-neutral, USA Today reported. Women in the infantry already must pass the High Physical Demand Tasks, which is gender-neutral.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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