Time was—recent time, that is—sailors had two chances to pass a physical fitness assessment (PFA). Failing the first meant no promotion. Failing the second: No career. They could neither be promoted nor reenlist.
That’s changed; as of this month, the Navy now allows the sailor’s commanding officer to decide whether the sailor gets to go on, even after failing a second test.
In an administrative letter, Vice Adm. Rick Cheeseman, chief of naval personnel, said, "Commanding officers can now evaluate a sailor's physical readiness progress or lack of progress in performance evaluations, giving them the ability to manage risk, recognize earnest effort, and best take care of their people.”
According to the new policy, sailors who fail any PFA no longer need to have it noted on their annual evaluation (although they still may not advance until they pass another test). Enlisted sailors who fail a second consecutive PFA are no longer required to receive the lowest possible score in the "Military Bearing/Professionalism" category and are not denied the ability to reenlist.
In assessing eligibility for enlisted members, the memo states that commanders should consider a sailor’s ability to perform the functions of their rate without physical or medical limitation at sea, shore or isolated duty; their overall ability to contribute to Navy missions; and the likelihood of improvement in meeting PFA standards within the next 12 months. “Building the bodies of great people,” Cheeseman wrote, “is more than annual (or biannual) testing and includes ensuring healthy food, adequate sleep, opportunities to exercise (especially outside), and medical readiness.”According to a report by Military.com, “critics have argued that many of the changes were the Navy relaxing its standards in the face of a challenging recruiting environment and an increasingly overweight population of Americans.” However, Navy data provided in November indicate that the number of sailors failing PFAs has remained very low. In 2017, nearly 98% of sailors passed the PFA, and 95.1% passed the first post-pandemic PFA in 2022.
The PFA policy changes are part of the Navy’s Culture of Excellence 2.0 , initiated earlier this year, Cheeseman says. This initiative “charges our leaders to build great people, great leaders, and great teams: their minds, bodies, and spirits, eliminating barriers wherever possible. In response, we are modernizing our PFA policy to acknowledge our diverse population, increase sailor trust, and enhance quality of service.”