The Army in again evaluating establishing military occupational specialty (MOS) specific physical training (PT) fitness tests.  Military.com reports the latest initiative considers maintaining the general test that is in practice but also create one for combat arms like Infantry and Armor.

The most likely reason for the latest effort is to create specific individual standards for combat arms soldiers that more accurately reflect the greater physical demands expected of these soldiers.  Today most combat arms standards revolve around unit or collective tasks.  This creates a dynamic where weaker men’s performance is compensated for by stronger men.  The minority of lower performing men (who still had to meet minimum male standards on the PT test) are disciplined, trained or separated for not meeting unit standards without concern for equal opportunity complaints beyond race complaints.  Groups promoting greater female integration into combat arms often cite these lower performing men as a reason for allowing women to serve in those specialties also without addressing the greater problems and demands placed on units to eliminate a greater and more diverse number of  lower performing soldiers.

Introducing women into this equation who have lower individual PT standards would make this dynamic exponentially more difficult and potentially seriously impact unit performance.  This is why the military will never try establishing all female combat arms units.  The physical performance differential between the sexes is so stark that it would be impossible to hide the differences between female and male combat arms units.   Imagine the difference in performance between all male/female platoons conducting a 12 mile forced road march live fire with full combat load and crew served weapons?  It would be as stark as the result of two handpicked male vs. female full contact football game.

This is a self-inflicted wound.  The Army created the current push-up, sit-up, two mile run test with separate men and women standards to make it easier to conduct a physical assessment of troops and to normalize standards between combat arms and support specialties.  The old run, dodge and jump test required a course and obstacles and demonstrated a very different mindset in measuring soldier physical fitness as can be seen in section five of the old physical training manual, the 1973 FM21-20.  The post Nam all volunteer Army was a time of increased recruitment of women into the service that drove the decision to pursue gender normed scoring or two standards.  Scoring women on the male standard would have drastically cut the number of women that could serve and condemn the rest to lower scores on the PT test slowing their opportunities to progress in rank.  Lowering men’s standards would have produced a force incapable of executing its war fighting mission.

Now the Army is trying to correct that mistake under pressure to include women in combat arms branches that are much more physically demanding than other areas where integration has occurred.  A second order effect that isn’t being considered will be the impact on leader dynamics later in the service.  Combat support troops will compete for rank in a system where they are tested less often and undergo less demanding testing.  This will undoubtedly increase friction between combat arms and support troops as well as some questions on who should fill the highest levels of leadership.  Such are the issues created by double standards emplaced to achieve short term results.