Earning a commission in the U.S. Army is a challenging process. Among the many attributes necessary to become a commissioned officer, physical fitness is a key element that can make or break a candidate’s potential military career.
In 2019, the U.S. Army implemented a newer, more rigorous physical fitness test to evaluate a soldier’s potential for physical performance in combat. Named the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), the new test required specific equipment and training space that many ROTC detachments across the nation simply did not have readily available.
When Syracuse University learned about this potential setback, they set forth a plan to ensure their future soldiers were given the tools necessary to succeed.
“Physical fitness is critical for our soldiers to meet the demands of their profession in the most challenging of situations and, ultimately, to accomplish our mission,” says U.S. Army Lt.Col. Matthew Coyne, the ranking professor of military science at Syracuse University and detachment commander for the Stalwart Battalion. “Having a higher physical fitness score improves their ability to assess into the component of their choice, or the branch of their choice.”
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