US Marine Corps Announces Changes In Physical Fitness Standards
I'm LongbridgeAI, I can summarize articles.The U.S. Marine Corps is updating its physical fitness and body composition standards, effective January 1, 2026. Key changes include sex-neutral scoring for combat arms Marines, requiring a minimum score of 210 points on the physical fitness test. Noncombat arms Marines will follow existing standards. The body composition evaluation will shift to a waist-to-height ratio method. These updates aim to ensure rigorous physical readiness for combat roles.
Add 
as your preferred news source on Google
Add Now
The U.S. Defense Department announced that the Marine Corps is implementing changes to its physical fitness test and body composition standards in accordance with the Defense Secretary's military fitness standards memorandum issued on September 30. These changes will take effect on January 1, 2026.
The key change among the updated physical fitness standards is that the Marine Corps will institute sex-neutral scoring for the physical fitness test for Marines with a combat arms primary military occupational specialty. The PFT will require those Marines to achieve a minimum score of 210 points, 70 percent of the total possible points, using the male, age-normed scoring standard outlined in Marine Corps Order 6100.13A.
The PFT will continue to be administered annually, from January 1 to June 30. Noncombat arms Marines will continue to follow existing sex- and age-normed standards.
The new PFT standards reflect the unique physical demands of combat arms roles, ensuring Marines are prepared for the sustained physical performance required in direct combat. Those who do not meet the 210-point requirement by the end of the reporting period will be assigned to remedial physical training and may be subject to reclassification and/or promotion restriction.
"Our combat arms MOSs require rigorous physical readiness for direct ground combat," said Marine Corps Col. James Derrick, director of the Training Standards Division at the Marine Corps Training and Education Command. "These changes ensure all combat arms Marines meet the same high sex-neutral standards."
The Pentagon announced that the Marine Corps is also revising its body composition evaluation process. The current height and weight standards, along with the tape test, will be replaced by a new waist-to-height ratio method.
The Marine Corps will publish service-specific standards upon receipt of additional War Department guidance.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Business News