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Toward a fitter force

The last time the Air Force overhauled its annual physical fitness test, in 2004, the goal was to make airmen fit to fight.

Today, slightly more than half of active-duty members — 55 percent — are overweight by Air Force standards. Nearly 97 percent of active-duty members, though, pass the fitness test.

When nearly every airman passes the fitness test despite the fact that those who are within weight standards are in the minority, something is out of whack. In this case, the fitness test is soft.

Leaders are going to get another chance to get the service back in shape through changes to the PT test to be announced this summer. Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz has been briefed on the changes, which reportedly include two physical fitness tests a year instead of one and a more generous maximum waist measurement.

Those are good and necessary changes, but the Air Force needs to go further and shape a force for which fitness is not just a tough requirement but also part of the culture of wearing the uniform.

Here are some measures toward that goal:

• Exercises should be tailored toward developing the strength and stamina needed for the jobs airmen do. Marines undergo combat fitness tests aimed at getting them in shape for the ground pounding they do. Flight-line jobs and other Air Force assignments come with their own brand of tough physical demands and it just makes sense to specifically prepare airmen to meet the challenges.

• After five years, it’s about time the Air Force ditched the 32-inch waist. That is an unrealistic standard for many otherwise fit airmen and, given that it does not factor in height, a ridiculous one to boot. So Air Force leaders absolutely must implement a height-weight proportion for a new waist-size requirement, or the change would be folly.

• Two tests a year are better than one. But if the Air Force truly wants to change the culture, it needs to implement quarterly tests. Then, airmen are sure to work out year-round.