The U.S. Navy has introduced new evaluation standards to measure the physical readiness of combat arms personnel such as SEALs and explosive ordnance disposal service members.
The service released a breakdown of the new combat fitness test on the MyNavyHR website on Dec. 30, the same day it issued a fact sheet outlining a shift in policy for sailors throughout the service.
That sheet said the Navy would be moving from one fitness assessment cycle a year to two and that sailors failing three physical fitness assessments within four years would be processed for administrative separation.
While most sailors will complete two physical fitness assessments a year, those in combat arms professions will undergo a physical fitness assessment and the new combat fitness assessment, which includes a body composition assessment and a combat fitness test.
The new combat fitness test applies to Naval Special Warfare, SEAL, special warfare combat crewman, explosive ordnance disposal, and fleet diving combat arms professions.
Combat arms personnel in the reserves on active duty for more than 12 months will also be required to take a physical readiness test and a combat fitness assessment, while reserve component personnel on active duty for less than 12 months will only be required to take a combat fitness assessment once a year.
The new policy is in keeping with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Sept. 30 memo outlining new “sex-neutral” fitness standards for all military branches.
The new combat fitness assessment will test sailors on four components.
First, combat arms personnel will have to complete a timed 800-meter swim in a swimming pool, or in open water if a commanding officer or officer in charge approves.
Sailors will be allowed to wear goggles or face masks but not swim caps, earplugs, snorkels, or flotation devices.
Sailors will wear swim fins, can use any stroke, will not be allowed to begin their swim with a dive, can push off from the side of the pool with their hands and feet after each pool length, and will call out the lap number every time they complete a lap.
After personnel call “time,” they will be required to report their time and take a 10-minute rest.
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Sailors will then complete as many pushups as they can in a two-minute stretch while wearing a 20-pound weight vest or plate carrier.
The counting will end prior to the two-minute mark if the sailor’s body — other than their hands and feet — touches the floor, if their hands or feet come off the ground or if their body does not remain straight or in a proper pushup position during that time.
Combat arms personnel are afforded a two-minute rest period before performing pullups, notching as many reps as they can without a time constraint.
Sailors will again wear a 20-pound weight vest or plate carrier while performing the exercise, which requires that the chin be level or above the top of the bar during the pullup.
Sailors will remain in the exercise as long as both of their hands remain on the bar and as long as their feet do not touch anything.
Personnel will be afforded another 10-minute rest after they dismount and report their time.
Lastly, sailors will complete a timed one-mile run while wearing a 20-pound rucksack, weight vest or plate carrier.
Combat arms personnel must receive a passing minimum for all four portions of the test and will fail the entire test if they fail one part.
Sailors who are medically waived from any of the four sections will receive a “partial-pass” if they pass all the others.
SEALs and special warfare combat crewmen will be held to slightly higher grading standards than explosive ordnance disposal sailors and fleet divers.
For instance, to score a “high” in the “outstanding” category, SEALs and special warfare combat crewmen aged 17 to 29 need to complete their 800-meter swim in under 11 minutes and 20 seconds, complete 54 pushups, 21 pullups, and run a mile in eight minutes or less.
But explosive ordnance disposal sailors and fleet divers aged 17 to 29 must complete only 17 pullups and run their mile in 10 minutes or less to score a “high” in the “outstanding” category.
The 800-meter swim time and pushup amount for these service members is the same as it is for the SEALs and special warfare combat crewmen.
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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